Amin Gulgee

sults in holistic shapes. Yet, neither of these writing styles was used in three dimensions until very recently.
Islamic calligraphy was relegated to manuscripts or as decoration on architecture or objects. Its use as an
object itself is a radical break from past practices. By updating the form that calligraphy can take while at the
same utilizing the styles from the past, Amin Gulgee steps into a postmodern mindset. He brings together
traditional and contemporary art. 1
This kind of approach has become a critical mode of expression for artists in postcolonial nations. In trying
to come to terms with the rich histories of the culture to which they belong, while acknowledging the reality
of a globalized world that includes hybrid cultures and influences that cross the entire world, these artists
attempt to build bridges between the two. It is not always a smooth crossing. Indeed, as the world becomes
increasingly globalized, it seems that problems between peoples have risen rather than diminished because
of increased interaction.
Today, Islam is viewed as a dangerous religion, especially because of the events of 9/11. This occasion
turned Islam into a global phenomenon, as historian Faisal Devji suggests: “not simply as the faith of millions,
but as a word that, very much like ‘America,’ was now part of everyone’s vocabulary, demanding from
everyone an opinion about itself.” 2 It carries a stigma of violence, although Devji suggests that the focus
on it in the days after 9/11 offered a new, gentle image of Islam. He writes, “[It] was only the threat of Islam
that made possible its recognition as a religion of peace.” 3 Even as there was an effort to project Islam as
a peaceful faith—an endeavor that extended as far as the White House—an environment of fear developed
around Islam that caused outsiders to be highly suspicious of the religion and its adherents.
As an artist who lives and works in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Amin Gulgee, as noted above, tries to
come to terms with his religion and inherited cultures. From the beginning, he has included Islamic calligraphy
in order to address his memories of home. In a new work like Towers 2, he makes references to the
religion’s questionable political face, while he also tries to emphasize its beauty and strength. Islam’s solid
foundation is expressed through the use of square-like Kufic letters, while the shimmering metal employed
in its construction is attractive to the eye. But by referencing 9/11 in the shape and title of this work, Amin
considers the apprehension surrounding Islam by using the very image stereotypically associated with its
violence. It is rendered into a cipher through the artists’ acceptance of the fixed definition of the religion.
Towers 2 raises a political dimension of Islam. However, many of his sculptures speak to more spiritual,
mystical concerns. In these works, another contradiction arises. In today’s world, it seems that art and religion
are necessarily at odds with each other. Conservative religious groups attempt to stop art exhibitions
and musical performances around Pakistan; while in the United States, fundamental Christians protest
against offensive paintings and films. Conventional thinking might reason that art and religion do not blend
together, especially when one considers artists as liberal or intellectual individuals. An eccentric, intelligent
individual like Amin Gulgee appears, at face level, to be unconcerned with religion, in particular with the
strict and confining rules that exist in Islam. However, his work does express Islamic beliefs. In some works,
he takes a line from the Quran and repeats it over and over again as a good Muslim might in the act of recit-