Boundaries
Motorcycles are ubiquitous below a certain economic level because the luxury of a car is far beyond the reach of the people. An entire ecosystem of motorcycle-based life exists across Pakistan. In Karachi, especially, you can’t go anywhere without seeing one. Any snapshot of that city that I take is bound to include at least one motorcycle. Transportation is a visible and constant boundary between the “haves” and “have-nots” in Pakistan.
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– Sabahat Quadri grew up a nomad, travelling through three continents before she and her family settled in Karachi, Pakistan. She comes from a conservative middle-class family that places a premium on education, but where art is considered unsuitable as a career. As a result, even though she managed to convince her parents to send her to art school, she ‘settled’ for becoming a graphic designer. Twenty eight years after establishing herself as a designer, editor, and writer in traditional and digital publishing, she left her corporate career behind to pursue her true passion: watercolours.
She is a writer and an artist. As a writer, she has been published in Dawn, The Express Tribune, and Millennial Pulp (a literary magazine in Illinois), which accepted both a short story and an artwork in two separate issues. She loves books, especially designing them, and has a growing collection of books designed by her on her shelves.
Sabahat is also part of an upcoming podcast series called Kawway. She writes and paints full-time with her cats in Karachi.
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