Sadequain’s mural in need of repairs at Frere Hall

The glorious mural by Sadequain on the ceiling of the Frere Hall is showing increasing signs of damage from damp, it emerged on Wednesday.

Sadequain's mural has been affected by discolouration in certain patches and requires attention. File photo

There is discolouration in certain patches where rainwater has seeped through the roof onto the hardboard on which the mural has been painted. The work is a composite of over 100 hardboard panels mounted on wooden frames attached to the ceiling.

Some of the panels have come loose from the frames and could potentially crash to the ground.

The “Arz-o-Samawat” (earth and the heavens) mural, painted in oils and markers, is Sadequain’s last work. He died in 1987 before he could complete it, leaving several of the canvases blank, testimony to an interrupted masterpiece.

The moisture-related damage goes back some three or four years. According to conservationists, the outer shell of the ceiling is made of metal sheets which have corroded over time, allowing rainwater to slowly seep into the peripheries of the gallery housing the mural. However, it was not until the rains last summer that the water made inroads into the central part of the mural itself.

Dr Kaleem Lashari, chairman of the heritage board instituted by the Sindh government to advise the department of antiquities, explains that the conservation of Frere Hall falls under the said department, which initiated documentation of the site two years back. “The studies were completed six months ago, and form the basis of a working strategy according to which the identification of suitable workers and artisans is under way,” he says.

Insisting that the mural is not in imminent danger, he adds: “In seven to eight months, we will be replacing the metal sheets with new ones that will secure the mural for 100 years.” He says that the damage does not warrant retouching of the mural. “We’ll allow it to dry; at the moment further intervention is not needed,” maintains Dr Lashari, comparing it with another mural by Sadequain in the Lahore museum which according to him is in far worse condition and requires more intensive treatment.

The gallery, as well as Frere Hall itself, sustained damage from the bomb attack in 2002 on the US consulate that was, until recently, located across the road. There are cracks visible in several places in the structure as well as in the doors and windows.

The ceiling of the hall adjoining the space with the mural, which is also used for art exhibitions, has a number of tiles missing, and the remaining ones appear precariously suspended.

The nearly decade-long closure of the building that followed the bombing allowed it to fall further into disrepair.

“In heritage conservation, maintenance and proper utilisation is very important,” says Dr Anila Naeem, member of the technical sub-committee of the Sindh government’s heritage advisory committee. “One of the primary reasons for deterioration of heritage buildings is disuse because regular maintenance is not carried out.”

(Dawn News)

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