Oil-on-canvas: Mountain painting exhibition opens

30 women display their works at Main Atrium titled ‘Mountains Landscape and Culture’

ISLAMABAD: As many as 30 oil-on-canvas paintings, one each by a budding artist from the twin-cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad, went on display in an exhibition exclusively reflecting the reflecting the grandeur, beauty, biodiversity and indigenous cultural heritage of the high altitude mountains of Pakistan.

The exhibition titled ‘Mountain Landscape and Culture’ has been organised by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan), Safa Gold Mall and Pakistan in the World at the Main Atrium of the Safa Gold Mall, F-7 Markaz.



Ambassador of Poland Piotr Opalinski and the Ambassador of Tunisia Adel Elarbi, and a senior diplomat from the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Samir Guliyev were the guests of honour on the occasion. They jointly inaugurated the exhibition on Friday evening that will remain open from 10 am to 10 pm daily till Sunday February 18.



Moderately priced, all paintings were creative expression on a canvas size 24x18 inches. Most of the paintings are in the landscape form while some are in the portrait. The young artists have explored their creative flair to enrich the paintings with valued aesthetical addition to already enchanting frames of natural beauty of mystical charms.

The flow of colours makes a rhythm of spontaneous movement in actually the static images of the mountains and environment around. The indigenous people and local culture and heritage is also well depicted in the paintings.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed said: “Well-aware and sensitised youth about environmental sustainability is the last hope to protect the planet through conservation.”



The damage done by the older generation is irreparable, but still there is hope to slowdown the process of degradation by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating indiscriminate deforestation and by taking steps for inclusive and integrated afforestation, said Ahmed who is also founder and director of the Pakistan Mountain Festival.

Briefing about the exhibition, Ahmed said Devcom-Pakistan has engaged different segments of society in its policy advocacy and awareness-raising on environment, sustainable development, mountain conservation and development, climate change, gender and health for the last 15 years.



Youth has been the backbone of every initiative the Devcom-Pakistan launched since its inception in 2002.

He said, ‘Mountain Landscape and Culture’ is an exhibition of selected paintings by 30 young female artists from the twin cities who have participated in different live painting competitions organised by the Devcom-Pakistan in connection with its globally recognised Pakistan Mountain Festival. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2018.