Dear Mohsin Shafi,

Congratulations! You have successfully added another 'red flag' — ruby pink to be precise — to the already awkward aura and an archetypal contentious personality of a desi middle-class artist. Frankly, what's with dyeing the cap pink? Not that I have any objections to it. Guess, gone are the days of Red, Green and Black caps. If you feel like pink, Pink it is. Let's catch up on that later.

For now, felicitations are also due for the solo presentation at the prestigious Kunshalle Krems Museum, Austria (22.11.25 — 06.04.26). The works here are a mix of activism, introspection and a touch of the unconventional, raw emotion, mysticism and social critique, with that whole "don't mess with me" aura — the beard, the knuckles with studded rings and an open-buttoned shirt exposing tawiz, bravery or virility. I can pretty much contextualise the entire show within your usual quest of identity, spirituality and an effort to make sense of all the ambiguity and obscurity — the real, the surreal........

© The Express Tribune