A steely resolve

Ajmal Shifaz used junk metal objects and the imagination of children to bring a community closer. Alongside, he created art in motion

- VISHNU PRASAD

It's rare for people to openly talk about contentious events. But Ajmal Shifaz is unafraid to do so. He makes public art in collaboration with local communities.

Most of the works reference observations on society through a compassionate lens.

I'm fascinated by how his work, Echo of Nothing: Life That Sparks After Fire, a mobile sonic sculpture, came about. It had been six months since communal violence had torn Mustafabad in north-east Delhi, when Shifaz arrived there on a visit in late 2020. He was curious about what had taken place but people refused to converse with him, worried about the pandemic and wary of who he might be. It took numerous visits and conversations for them to be comfortable in his presence.