16/05/2026
A story narrated to Taha Abbas during his childhood spoke of a massacre that took place in Theri, a village near Khairpur, Sindh, where more than 100 people were brutally killed. The injured hid among the corpses, but the attackers drove buffaloes over them, crushing the survivors.
‘Buffaloes crushed the injured beneath their feet’ — this line haunted him the first time he heard it, and every time the elders retold the story afterward. He could never comprehend how such an innocent creature, one that harms no one and quietly goes about eating and bathing on its own, could be made to commit such an act.
As time passed and he continued his studies in Karachi, the same feeling resurfaced when he heard news of a police raid on university students later found to be involved in criminal activities; of a person in a bomber jacket taking hundreds of lives with him; of people giving their time, money, and lives to the corrupt and the evil; of societies living by distorted principles. Once again, he saw buffaloes running over corpses.
The buffaloes were never the true culprits behind the violence, but merely tools controlled by a ringmaster. To him, the world began to resemble a circus — where university students become target killers, politics steals people’s rights, and religion is twisted into violence.
Having chosen Miniature Painting as his major, a technique historically used to narrate stories of kings, wars, and courtly life, he employs satire to express these feelings. He paints the stories he grew up with in Karachi, the stories that remained embedded in his heart and mind. Calling it a circus, he portrays the innocent beings manipulated into acts of destruction with the full force of their strength. His work stands as a socio-political satire.
Gunny Bags of Karachi
Watercolour on Paper
12 x 16 inches
2026
The exhibition continues till May 19, 2026 - 11 am to 8 pm, every day. The gallery remains closed on Fridays and national holidays only.
