Celebrating francophonie: ‘A dialogue between ages, a discourse among cultures’

Artworks from six French-speaking countries go on display at PNCA.

ISLAMABAD: An exhibition featuring artworks from six French-speaking countries opened at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Monday.

The show, a part of the ongoing Francophonie Festival, includes art pieces from   Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Tunisia and Vietnam. Each country has presented a unique theme in their artworks on display.

“Despite their very diverse nature, the French-speaking countries also show a great cultural diversity and offer the viewers glimpses of different kinds of history, artistic creativity, cultural heritage and traditions,” said Belgian Ambassador Peter Claes in his opening remarks.

Titled “Seeing with your ears – Hearing with your eyes” was an exhibition of graphic scores with pen, brush and ink on paper by Austrian composer Renald Deppe.

Creating compositions using Indian ink and water colour techniques, he has skillfully interpreted his musical ideas into graphics. These graphic citations, which rather correspond to a description of emotions and conditions, are pieces of art in their own right.

Belgium’s exhibition, “Conversation” comprises Pakistani interpretations of Belgian miniatures. Young artists of miniature painting at the National College of Arts, Lahore, responded to the miniatures from Brussels and created works in connection to the imagery from a distant past.”

Quddus Mirza, an art critic, commented on the display, saying: “The exhibition is not only a dialogue between ages, but it is also a discourse among diverse cultures. Perhaps this small effort can be one contribution towards a bigger pursuit that aims to replace the clash of civilisations with a conversation of cultures.”

The artists have assimilated images from European paintings and illuminated manuscripts, depicting miniature painting from the era of Akbar and Jehangir. They have extended the understanding of an art form, by responding to images from another culture. They evoke a discourse not only in the realm of art, but also culture, language, faith, politics and economy.

Titled “History of France through advertisements”, the exhibition from France features an interesting mix of vintage advertisements, divided across different time periods. These include artful advertisements of everyday objects such as soaps and cars.

Similarly, Tunisia has presented posters and traditional items, exploring the rich culture and diverse lifestyle one rarely gets to see in the media. Moreover, Vietnam has presented embroidered landscape pictures, handicraft and tourist posters in vibrant details of colour and texture.

The exhibition was followed by food stalls from a diverse range of countries such Romania, Lebanon and Pakistan.

Parveen Malik, president of the Asian Study Group and a guest at the event, said, “The Belgian artworks were fantastic. It was
quite fascinating so see the posters as well. The food was just fabulous. I think it is a great initiative and also the fact that they have included locals in it, considering we know so little about their cultures.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2015.