A month after the untimely demise of Asim Butt, it is still not any easier to write an obituary about him. One comes to terms with the loss of a loved one over an extended period of time, however, considering the fact that Asim touched the lives of hundreds of people who he interacted with in some form or the other, and even those who he hadn’t interacted with directly but who knew of him and were struck by his art and activism, his death continues to cause much sorrow.
As Adil Najam wrote on the All Things Pakistan blog, “…hearing today that he has died in what may be a suicide has left me down and dejected. It is partly because a person of such obvious talent and great potential, someone with a strong political conscience and a desire and the ability to act on that conscience, and someone so young (”in the prime of his life” as we Pakistanis say) is no more. But it is also the way he has departed. Or chosen to depart. All death leaves one speechless for a minute. Suicide leaves one even more dumbstruck.”
Asim’s friends continue to leave heartfelt messages on his wall on Facebook and on the In Loving Memory of Asim Butt, 1978-2010 tribute page on Facebook, still trying to come to terms with the fact that he is no more – but hoping and believing that he knows exactly how much he is missed, how much he meant, and still means, to them and how they continue to be affected by his absence. A tribute was held a few days later, on January 18, at T2F (The Second Floor) in Karachi where his friends, family and colleagues shared moving anecdotes, videos and pictures from the different phases of his life: from his time as a student at LUMS where he studied social sciences, to the days he spent at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture getting a BFA degree, to the era of activism when he spearheaded peaceful yet graphically powerful protests against the Emergency declared by Pervez Musharraf, the violence that engulfed Karachi post-assassination of Benazir Bhutto and most recently, the crusade he had taken upon himself to save what was remaining of Hotel Metropole – an iconic landmark of Karachi that has now been demolished. His family continues to gather his writings, his personal mails and the details of the collection of his work and hope to put them together in a befitting manner to exhibit his exceptional talent and intellect. Others hope to follow up on the social causes he held dear to his heart.
During the recently held PFDC Fashion Week in Lahore, designer Sadaf Malaterre showcased her womenswear collection, which focused on colour. She dedicated her collection to the memory of Asim Butt as she stated that he inspired her and constantly encouraged her to experiment with colour. As can be observed in the vast collection of paintings he produced in a relatively short duration, colour was something Asim gave a lot of importance to. I am not an expert at critiquing art, hardly even an amateur, but his paintings were such that even a person off the street could appreciate his compositions, although there was always a deeper, underlying meaning in what he was portraying. He was bold in the depiction of his subjects, be it everyday instances or taboo topics, and continuously challenged conformity. His passion for art was very much evident in all of his works: be it painting, graffiti, printmaking or sculpture.
As a person, Asim Butt was outspoken, but never to the extent of hurting anyone with his words. He was a restless soul always challenging conformity and norms, but never in a destructive way. Asim Butt created an indelible impression on whoever he met, although if you’ve seen his person, you will know that it had nothing to do with his appearance – he was always dressed in the most unassuming manner, seemingly not having given much thought to what he had thrown on – be it a plain tee shirt; a silky, loud-patterned shirt; or a worn, cotton kurti. There was a subtle, inexplicable magnetism about him – not the usual kind of charisma one might encounter with people of substance, but something that ran way deeper. I met Asim only twice, and I was hoping to run into him many more times because he was an extraordinary individual and anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing him – even in the minutest way – can testify to that.
He accomplished more in his 28 years than most do in their lifetime and I don’t feel this write up can do justice to Asim Butt as there was so much more to him – so many facets to his personal and professional life, all of which cannot be explained in words but only be felt deeply by those whose lives he touched.
