Back to history: Art exhibition honours Jinnah’s life, sacrifices

Participants say art and culture must be used to educate students

ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of artwork to honour Quaid-i-Azam went on display at Aiwan-i-Quaid gallery in Fatima Jinnah Park on Monday.

Organised by Directorate of Electronic Media and Publications of Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, the show features works of Mazhar Alam, Wasim Akhtar, Muhammad Iftikhar, Syeda Humaira Nayyar Zafar, Nayyar Sultana Kazmi and Riffat Khattak.

Aiwan-i-Quaid Director Programmes Ishrat Masoom told The Express Tribune that the idea to host the event was to honour founder of the nation. He said the six artists were given the theme by the Directorate.

“We are hosting a series of events including a lecture on the life of Jinnah, Naat recitation, speech competitions and activities for students to celebrate his [Jinnah’s] birthday and pay tribute to him,” he said.

Akhtar said it took him six months to complete the artwork featuring sketches, oil and water colour on canvas.

“The idea is to educate students about historical and prominent figures through art,” he said. He was of the view that art and culture, and interactive activities must be used to educate future generation about national heroes.



Alam said he used oil and colour on canvas to create the artworks.

He also mentioned that the idea, to host this exhibition and produce works on such a theme, was to create awareness about message of Jinnah.

“We need to remind the future generation about forgotten wisdom of the founder of the nation,” he said.

Most artworks on display are portraits of Jinnah and other prominent leaders of Pakistan Movement. It also includes portraits of Quaid’s family in order to create awareness about his personal and professional life among students.

Some of the paintings depict his famous sayings and quotations, leaving an impact on the viewers.

Iftikhar, another artist featured in the exhibition, said art is an effective way to inspire youth and attract them towards a particular theme.

“This is precisely the reason why I love to explore patriotic and historical themes through my artwork. I believe doing so can create awareness at a greater level to reach out to the masses,” he said.

The exhibition is on-going till December 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2015.