Exhibition makes a point about autistic children

Proceeds to help pay for seven of the 10 students.

LAHORE: By 4pm on Monday, 17 of the 25 paintings on display, eight sets of postcards and 15 poster sat the Oasis School had been sold.

These were produced by the nine autistic children enrolled at the institute a year ago at the time of its inception. The exhibition on Monday was organised to mark the first anniversary of the school.

However, Principal Samrina Anwar said, an important motive in arranging the event was to show that autistic children could be highly productive if dealt with care and allowed to work on their own. She said there was a need to educate the youth of the country about the hidden talents ofthese children.

“I feel thereis a lack of understandingamong the youth about autistic children,” she said.

She said by promoting their works, the school intended to create awareness that autistic children should not be seen as a burden.

The exhibition also helped raise funds for seven children studying under the Oasis Trust. At present, she said,there were 10 children studying at the school.

She said if it succeeded in raising funds through similar exhibitions, the school might enroll more deserving students under the Trust.

The works displayed at the exhibition included paintings by 11-year-old Awais and 8-year-old Ammar Khan. Art teacher Inaam Zafar said the two children were more inclined towards painting.

Awais, born with Aspergers (a mild form of autism), used the wet-on-wet technique that involved spilling paints on the canvas and fusing them together using a highly modified stroking method, said Zafar.

He said Ammar was a geniusat blending shades of colours. He said the child had very quickly mastered the art of making gradient.

Besides the painting, Ammar’s work included collages (using newspaper clipping) and objects made by using the potato stamping technique.

Another teacher, Ayesha Lodhi, said the paintings were made by children without help from the teachers. She said it was important tolet the children express themselves freely on the canvass.

This way, she said, the teachers could also find out how effective their efforts had been. Later, Ayesha Haroon, the founder of the school, took the visitors on a tour of the school.

Her own child, she said, was also studying at the school. Several students and faculty of Lahore Grammar School Phase 5 branch, Beaconhouse National University and National College of Arts , Salamat Academy were presentat the occassion.

The paintings displayed at the exhibition were priced between Rs8,000 and Rs20,000, postcard sets at Rs500 per setand posters at Rs2,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2011.