Photography exhibition introduction

Tahir Gul Hasan’s photography exhibition: One For The Road

5 March 2005, Alliance Française, Lahore

Photographer’s Introduction

Diana, the first toy-camera Tahir Gul Hasan purchased thirty-five summers ago was a magical box that caught moments like they were fish. He has not embraced photography as a profession because he adores the freedom of being an amateur (the Latin derivation amateur means lover).

His uncluttered yet strong compositions come from keenly observing the human condition. Whether visiting Europe or the Far East, street photography attracts him more than anything else. To him each human being is a story begging to be told.
While Tahir’s reverence for the inherent abstraction and purity of Black and White photography reveals itself strongly, his colour images always succeed in depicting striking contrasts and interesting subjects. He says philosophically, “The motion-picture of Life runs at perhaps twenty-four frames a second; I’m only interested in capturing fragments of the Inner Reality when they unfold before me.”

Tahir’s craft approach towards photography is no accident; he is acutely aware of the f/64 giants, the Magnum greats, and the Surrealists. If the false convenience and distracting electronics of digital make him laugh, it is because he possesses greater faith in older equipment. “A dose of pain always yields creative gain”, he elucidates, “and only passport photos are shot without pain; Art demands greater sacrifice. The extreme example is that of the Dutch painter, Vincent Van Gogh, sending his severed ear to an estranged beloved.”

If his photographs appear to mysteriously mask complexity with simplicity and speak volumes, it is because his words have magically transformed themselves into lucid images.

Alliance Française is indeed proud to host the first-ever public exhibition of Tahir Gul Hasan’s enchanting images.