Karachi: Art has considerable power as it takes the form of human thoughts and feelings. Everyone harbors thoughts and feelings but very few know how to depict them the way Amin Guljee does by translating them into mesmerizing art pieces.
Born in Karachi, Amin Gulgee is the son the great artist Ismail Guljee. His field of interest includes fine sculptures, installation and performance and he graduated from Yale University, USA. He has done 35 performance works of his own over the 2 decades and has been actively involved in different international art exhibitions. The range of his public works can be seen from the Steps at the Parliament House, Islamabad to the Reaching for the Skies at the United Nations HQ, New York.
Performance “kiss of the Spider Woman” (Image Credit: Insta @amingulgee)
In conversation with him about his work, he gets excited and deeply dives into the entire process that is involved in putting together a performance or creating an art piece. He said “You are not engulfed by great ideas every day and therefore art cannot be pressurized, good ideas take time and then your creativity will transform the metaphysical thing into something physical and tangible that others can appreciate later”.
Amin considers his workshop his whole world when he is working on any art. When he is working in his workshop alone or with his four main people, no other single person is allowed. They don’t know what would be the final result but Amin leads with the firm belief in the process. He thinks until the ideas are not taken any final form, they are subject to development and he does not want every metaphysical thing to finally reach to its physical form as it imposes the limitation over it.
His forte is sculpture and he is passionate about the process that is involved in creating them. These art pieces and others can be seen at Amin Guljee’s gallery where is currently living too. He is of the view that art galleries should be non-commercial and everyone should have a chance to see the art and appreciate its beauty. He is not in support of private ownership of art pieces which hinder the promotion of art among common people.
Cosmic Chapati (Image Credit: https://www.gulgeeamin.com)
Structure (Image Credit: https://www.gulgeeamin.com)
One of the main areas of interest in his work is Islamic art. He is a fan of all historical Islamic arts by some great minds in the Islamic golden era and he wants such enthusiasm to be back in Muslims again especially those living in Pakistan who are completely deprived from its knowledge. He is interested in the process that went in the creation of every single Islamic script in the history and is of the view that no one can predetermine what the end result could be of any art process. He has done great job in 3D calligraphy which has completely transformed the concept of calligraphy on the flat surface and he is of the view that you can play with perception through these 3D calligraphies.
Installation “7” in Karachi at Amin Gulgee Gallery (Image Credit: https://www.gulgeeamin.com)
He likes to experiment with his art as much as with his live performances. The goal of all these performances is to heal the one who is coming to find some kind of therapy in it. He has done several shows around the world. He also discussed his recent visit to Chicago, USA, where he has done performances and his sculptures were displayed for the audience. His next show is scheduled in France.
Amin ends on the note that that “You cannot make a good piece of art under pressure, first you need to free yourself and do not worry if the ideas don’t come, they will come naturally and unexpectedly through special connections and magic.”