Culture and art: Swat’s artists depict ancient culture in contemporary work

MINGORA: A week-long exhibition of paintings and calligraphy by different artists in Swat began on Sunday.

The exhibition titled “Rangoona” has been organised by Hunerkada in collaboration with the Swat Serena hotel. The event attracted a large number of art lovers, students and civil society members from across the district.

Nasir Sheen, showcasing his wooden masterpieces – relief carvings and sculptures – said woodcarving remains a major art form. It comes from ancient Swati culture and can be seen in various segments of Pakistani culture. “I was impressed by the ancient art of woodcarving and started taking an interest in it. I have tried to focus on female education and Pukhtun culture in my work,” said Sheen.

Apart from the landscapes in muted tones, abstract paintings depicting education and extremism attracted many visitors to the gallery.

Themes including extremism, education, music and freedom threaded through the pieces. PHOTO: FAZAL KHALIQ/ EXPRESS

“I have defined squares in my composition; these highlight the current education system with its flaws. I also tried to show the relation between education and extremism, as well as its impact,” said Faisal Kohzad, one of the artists. Red squares dominate black quadrangle canvases in most of his pieces.

Mohammad Aman, an art enthusiast taking a keen interest in the display, said such exhibitions and other artistic endeavours give an insight to society and culture. For me, the exhibition is like a breath of fresh air, he said.

The organisers said introducing and bringing forward Swat’s emerging talent is the main purpose of the exhibition. “There is plenty of talent here which must be uncovered. We tried to showcase masterpieces by local artists,” said Murad, a renowned artist from Swat Valley as well as an official of Hunarkada.



The exhibition included qadeem and jadeed (ancient and modern) works of calligraphy, traditional woodcarving, abstract art and Islamic art.

Artists featured at the exhibition were Murad, Nasir Sheen, Nasir Yousafzai, Faisal Kohzad and Bushra Zeeshan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2013.