From blood-soaked flowers to edgy photomosaics, Pakistani contemporary art is flourishing

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By Ali Sethi
Photo Credit: Rashid Rana
Anyone weaving through the bookstalls at the recently concluded Lahore Literary Festival would have found it hard to ignore The Eye Still Seeks, a flashy new tome affirming the rude health of contemporary Pakistani art. I mean rude: at a hefty 12 x 10 inches, with a gleaming gold square on either side of its dark grey cover, the book resembles a trophy or souvenir, and even brings to mind one of those decorous boxes in which wealthy Pakistanis nowadays send out invitation cards for many-splendored weddings. "A panoramic view," the back cover cries in uproarious caps, in case you weren’t feeling the festive vibe, "of the vibrant, brilliant world of contemporary Pakistani art."[link]