Spreading love through art

Stepping away from the conventional forms of art, a woman in Peshawar has come up with the unique idea of painting rocks and walls with colourful creative designs, patterns, and heartfelt messages.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Azra Nafees Yousafzai said that for her, art is not only about expressing her passion, but she uses it to spread love, peace, and happiness among people who are struggling with emotional trauma.

“I discovered the artist in me when I was a child but never thought about pursuing it professionally,” she said. “I needed something to occupy my mind with and reconnect with life after the death of my youngest son as it had shattered me into pieces,” she said.

She said the outbreak of coronavirus ended all of her other engagements, which gave her a chance to dedicate herself to art on a full-time basis.

“Before formally starting rock painting some two years ago, I had also done fabric painting and other forms of artwork,” said Yousafzai, who is an educationist by profession.

“The idea of paintings on river rocks came to my mind when I was doing a diploma in art from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi.”

She explained that she initially started paintings on rocks to divert her attention from the trauma she was going through but later found that this art is not just about her, but about people undergoing similar situations

“I want to help people suffering from trauma, struggling with the loss of loved ones, or those who have been disconnected from their families and communities for various reasons. I painted my first rock in 2018 for an acquaintance who had lost her son in the Peshawar Army Public School attack in 2014,” she said.

Yousafzai said she tries to spread kindness through her art, adding that a small rock painted with the message of hope and love can make people forget their troubles for a moment.

“I love rock painting and I never get bored of it,” she expressed. “Rock painting is a relatively new idea in Pakistan as no one has done any formal work on this form of art before.”

She said at first, she collected a few rocks from her neighbourhood in Peshawar, however, it was not a sustainable way of getting rocks to paint. As a result, she travelled to the northern areas of the country and brought herself several bags full of river rocks.

“I have planned to hold a roadside exhibition of rock paintings in Peshawar, Islamabad, and Karachi,” she disclosed.

“The idea is to display my painted rocks at a gallery or any other public place where people can come by and have a moment of inspiration,” she added.

To encourage the frontline health and rescue workers fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Yousafzai has planned to paint rocks with heartfelt messages and place them at the entrance of the hospitals as well as the Rescue 1122 office in the provincial capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2020.