Pakistani-born artist Ali Kazim has just graduated from the MFA Painting at the Slade School of Art, London, yet has been exhibiting for over a decade across the world, from Pakistan to England, Sri Lanka to the United States.

Kazim's recent show enticed viewers with a sinuous form of delicately woven human hair, simultaneously beautiful & unsettling.

Mono. So, why hair?
Ali Kazim: I'm interested in exploring the human body because it is one of the most complex organisms in the universe. Previously I've used materials such as pigments, paper and leather, which represent external skin.

More recently I’ve started using human hair, which is a material literally taken from the body. Using hair, I wanted to make a form inspired by the anatomical intestine structure, which articulates the interior world. My selected material & its characteristics allowed me to let things happen naturally.

M. Do you think people are uncomfortable with the idea of human hair out of context?
AK: Hair has been used by artists for many years, so I believe it is now expected as an art material.  I personally didn’t get any negative reactions or cringes. However, this is rather subjective, I know some people can be totally disgusted by cut off or plucked hair & wouldn’t want to see it. 

Hair has very interesting qualities when it is part of the body – it is attractive & gives one's identity - but when it is cut off or plucked out it can be repulsive too.

M. It may just be another artist's material, but is there any particular significance to where the hair came from?
AK: The hair I’ve used for this work belongs to people I don’t know, which I collected from local barber shops. I have looked into the significance of hair in different cultures and religions, but there isn’t a greater conceptual relevance, I’m more interested in the material & its aesthetic qualities. 

M. So are aesthetics more important than meaning?
AK: I think both aspects are equally important - there should always be a balance between the two.  I enjoy making, so for me that is as important as the concept.  Often I start out with a concept & try to explore it visually, then it can evolve into something else.  But I also work the other way, by starting to make something that consequentially takes on meaning.

M. Your work has an element of fragility & impermanence about it. Will you try to preserve it or do you see it's decay as integral?
AK: Our life is not eternal: fragility & change reflects life. I think sometimes the fragility & impermanence of the work is more beautiful than its stability. I won’t preserve it; decay is an integral part of the piece.

M. The future?
AK: The world is changing so rapidly, and artists are adapting accordingly. Artists will always experiment with new technology, but I don't believe the traditional mediums will ever be less relevant.

I am part of this changing world and I know it influences me, though I find it hard to pinpoint exactly how. I think all artists are aware of technology and try to work alongside or with it. I welcome these changes and I try to adapt to them.

As for my work, I can't predict what work I'll be making in the future.

AliKazim.net

Kazim won the Land Securities Studio Award, which provides a studio at the Bow Art Trust for a year, culminating in a show.

FURTHER READING:
The Danger of Hair by Annekes Melik
Purity & Danger: An analysis of the concepts of pollution & taboo by Mary Douglas

Words: Imogen Webb
Images: Vipul Sangoi