Lahore Arts Council: Caricatures and comic strips go on display

Mudassir Butt’s solo show, which opened on January 14 and will end on Friday, features 18 water colours and 130 digital prints, the latter priced at Rs300 to Rs1,000.

“I want every one to buy my work and this is why I have done my best to make it affordable,” the young cartoonist said. “Most art work in this country is directed towards the rich and influential. Not mine.”

Butt’s subjects in water colour are mostly from the entertainment industry, including actor and anchor Sohail Ahmed of Hasbe Haal fame, actor Salman Shahid and painter Sheikh Salahuddin. His work also features politicians and bureaucrats.

“But I can say 99 per cent of the comics in this collection are of everyday faces that I encounter. Some are inspired by our domestic helpers, security guards outside offices and shops, drivers and food delivery boys,” he said. Much of the work is humorous, but some also reflects the environmental degradation around Pakistan.

Some of the work is from a comic book Butt is developing called King of Dangerous Action about the lives of teenagers in Lahore.

He said that the comic book would take another six or seven months to finish. He is also working on a comic brochure for the DHA library that aims to encourage young people to read.

Butt, who did a degree in software programming from the Lahore School of Management Sciences, said he had moved into comics as most of the work he received after graduation was in graphic design. He worked as an apprentice with painter Ajaz Anwar and cartoonist Javed Iqbal before starting his own company, Mudtoonz, around a year ago. He said the company now employs 12 cartoonists and graphic designers.

Butt held his first show at the Shakir Ali Museum and has showcased his comic strips at the DHA library. He heads the department of graphic design at Scarsdale International School.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2013.