Open air lessons: Painter instructs students in marketplace classroom

Artist Azhar Qureshi has been teaching at the H-9 weekly bazaar for six years

ISLAMABAD:

From the many relatively cheap commodities that the weekly bazaars and flea markets around Islamabad offer, a somewhat unlikely outlet sells paintings, which also serves as an unexpected visual treat for visitors at the Sunday bazaar next to Kashmir Highway.

A cursory look through the long lanes of stalls near Gate 3 of the market will not reveal anything exceptional in the paintings on display. Upon closer inspection however, the stall reveals to be serving as an open air painting class, with around eight to ten individuals undergoing lessons simultaneously.

Azhar Qureshi, the artist and instructor, has been conducting painting lessons and using the same space as his shop for the last six years.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Qureshi said he has had students of all ages and backgrounds visiting his stall for lessons.

“I’ve taught painting to doctors, students and housewives; basically anyone who has the flair to learn,” Qureshi said. “Girls from the nearby National University of Modern Languages and International Islamic University visit my stall frequently for these lessons,” he added.

According to Qureshi, the idea of establishing this setup at a location like the weekly market is an attempt to make students work in a more casual and free-spirited environment. He strives to be unlike any art lesson conducted behind closed doors and confined spaces.

“In a way, my students get to have an audience while working on their paintings; visitors usually stop by for a while to observe their progress,” the artist said.



Despite this very public classroom, Qureshi says there has never been an unpleasant incident from the public at large, and that the classroom has remained a comfortable space despite the mainly female student gathering.

“We will have an exhibition of paintings from more than fifty students of mine at Rawalpindi  Arts Council soon,” he added.

“This setup is also different in a way from others selling such paintings around the city, as they (shop owners) usually buy paintings as a second or third party. Whatever is on display at this stall was painted right here,” Qureshi said.

Qureshi told The Express Tribune that he had developed an interest in painting from a very young age, and had learnt his craft in Lahore. He said he had previously taught painting at various academies around Islamabad and Rawalpindi for 25 years.

Offering lessons for just one thousand rupees per month, three days a week, Qureshi says he has kept the fees low because he wants to keep it affordable, especially for the students.

Twenty-year-old Shabila Shahzadi from Taxila, who learnt painting from Qureshi for a year, has been working as an instructor at the stall too.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.