‘Water Bodies’ at Orange Line stations

LAHORE: Sitara-e-Imtiaz Imran Qureshi has unveiled his latest series of exhibitions titled Water Bodies as part of Lahore Biennale 2024.

These four captivating installations are being showcased at three key Lahore Orange Line Metro Train stations, including the historic Shalimar Garden station, making contemporary art more accessible to the public.

Lahore Biennale has become a significant platform for contemporary art, attracting an impressive array of global artistic expressions. This year’s theme, Of Mountains and Seas, curated by John Tain, delves into the intersections of ecology, sustainability, and artistic innovation, urging reflection on alternative futures.

Imran Qureshi’s Water Bodies features four intricately designed works inspired by the blue PVC water tanks that have become a hallmark of Lahore’s skyline. Seen from above, these tanks symbolise the city’s rapid urbanisation and serve as metaphors for the ecological concerns Qureshi seeks to address. His pieces draw attention to the health and environmental risks posed by storing water in plastic tanks. In typical fashion, Qureshi’s masterful use of colour plays a key role in these works. The blue represents the omnipresent water tanks, while the orange signifies rust and the creeping toxicity affecting Lahore’s ecosystem due to plastic pollution. The colour orange also subtly references the Orange Line itself, where much of the artwork is installed, marking a historic moment as this is the first public art to be permanently displayed at the Lahore Metro.

At the GPO Train Station, a vast wall features an impressive blue-and-orange collage made from photographs of painted water tanks. This vibrant artwork shifts in tone as visitors move through the station—becoming bluer near the exits to symbolise increasing reliance on plastic tanks and turning more orange near the train entrance, echoing the presence of the Orange Line system. Qureshi’s design draws from Multan’s traditional pottery, blending six distinct patterns into a unified, immersive visual experience.

At the Shalimar Train Station, an 85-foot-wide translucent mural adorns a curtained wall. The mural, consisting of circular window-like paintings of water tanks, allows natural light to filter through, creating a dynamic visual effect that changes with the time of day. Additionally, visitors can view Qureshi’s rooftop installation, where actual blue water tanks are painted to blend seamlessly with the surrounding neighbourhood—a reflection of the omnipresence of these structures across the city.

The final piece is located within the historic Shalimar Gardens, where Qureshi has constructed a life-sized water tank using discarded Multani crockery fragments adorned with floral motifs. Developed after extensive research in Multan, this installation fuses art with nature, providing a stark yet beautiful contrast to the surrounding landscape of rooftops filled with blue tanks, visible from the gardens.Water Bodies is now open to the public and will remain a permanent fixture at these iconic locations.