Art remains one of the greatest podiums of expression. It can be reflected in different formats and most of us are left feeling overwhelmed by intricate presentations from around the world.
However when we see the praise being imparted onto artists hailing from our very own country, that definitely leaves a sense of awe and pride which is on a completely different level.
Farhan Faisal Khan, a Pakistani artist was always fascinated by modes of expression which were slightly different than sketching or painting; he was particularly drawn towards macro photography.
Having kick started his work as a landscape photographer exploring the various regions of Pakistan, his exploration streak was however cut short due to a job in Saudi Arabia; soon enough he felt a new pattern of expressing his artistic intuition was needed.
This led him to macro photography and particularly miniature art animation.
Without the need to explore geographical terrains far and wide, Farhan bought miniature toys in 2017 and dived into scale-size specific art. However those miniscule settings were big on defining stories.
Despite not holding any professional art training and adapting his skill sets from online tutorials, Farhan’s embedded talent continued to evolve, so much so that he began to gain immense popularity on social media which allowed him to compose his sketches and present story-lines in attention-grabbing visuals- be it through photos or videos.
Speaking to Pakistan Facts, Farhan stated how his hobby quickly escalated into meaningful work which continues to gain momentum where he hopes he will immerse into it – full professional mode “I am getting only good vibes from the public through Social Media. Many are particularly interested in my animation skills and I tend to work more towards that area,” he said.
While Farhan does get the occasional eye-roll with criticism on the work being a duplicate, he points how most of his photography and animation artwork is based on daily environment.”My work is representing my own thoughts. The work depicts various situations I find intriguing. I don’t believe in copying art and I aim to make use of miniature props to depict intriguing concepts,” he told us.
Speaking of the miniature figurines, Farhan often gets asked where he gets his shoot equipment. “For miniature figures, at the scale of 1:87, I usually have them purchased from Germany though online dispatch. It comes across as expensive but I want to adhere to quality standards when creating my work. I also purchase second hand figurines from the Rainbow center in Karachi whenever I’m visiting the area.”
Farhan, who attained international recognition through his Nikon MEA win, a competition which saw the likes of thousands of participants, credits the title for putting him on the map, giving fellow Pakistani photographers a nudge to explore the unexplored terrains and define their craft on their own terms and not conventional means of conduct.
He hopes the international stance of recognition will create a benchmark for a more accepting culture of art through its various branches. “There is so much potential. It’s right there but it needs a nudge, a sign of acceptance to let it become a mainstream profession.”
Pakistan may have adapted the advancement of technological innovation but it still needs to come a long way with accepting human capabilities in aesthetic sense. Art schools and degrees are still largely considered as a sidelined project. However with potential and success stories like Farhan’s, perhaps art can finally be accepted in a more glorified and dignified framework.
To know and see more of Farhan’s extraordinary work in stories, animation, artwork, visit his Instagram: @farhanfaisalkhan
