Usman Alvi is a gifted artist who cannot hear or speak, but he is gifted with the art of starting a dialogue through his work. Primarily focusing on gouache on wasli paper, he uses himself and the world around him as his prime subjects. One finds immense passion and feelings with which the artist has painted. Fighting roosters, peacocks, ducks, toads and dogs portray a rhythmic movement which he cannot hear, but he can feel. “I enjoy the sensory value of movement around me,” conveys Alvi in writing. “This enhances my subject matter. I love seeing beautiful horizons and feel the beauty inside me.”
Alvi’s work reflects his internal musings about the world. He might not be able to hear the noise and music around him, but he is strumming the beat of his own guitar through his paintings. He might not be able to enjoy the mundane aspects of life, but through his work he shows how well acquainted he is with his surroundings and attuned to all the animals and their different sensibilities. Through his work the artist shows his innate ability to attract and experience things that others may fail to do so.
