Art exhibition: In solidarity with the flood-hit people of Badakhshan

Proceeds from paintings and photographs on display to be used for relief.

ISLAMABAD:

In tribute to the resilience of the flood-hit people of northern Afghanistan and to generate funds for their relief, an art exhibition was organised at the Rohtas Gallery on Friday.

Hamid Muqtader, Afghan writer, poet and painter, showcased a series of his oil and water paintings as well as some select photographs. “My main motivation in exhibiting these pieces is to help out those Afghan people who have lost everything due to this natural disaster,” he said.

His paintings depict the pain and suffering of the victims of the natural disaster. The wide-open eyes reflect the vision through which the artist sees and feels the pain of his affected brethren.



His bold strokes, thickly-textured surfaces and dull colours, especially the use of black and red paint, evoke an intense sense of compassion.

Meanwhile, the photographs take one through the traditional architecture of mosques, minarets and domes, natural landscapes as well as people in different parts of Afghanistan.

“The content of the paintings is not important, but the spirit with which we have organised this exhibition is to raise money for the victims of Badakshan,” said Zohra Nasir, the curator of the gallery.

Some painted ceramic ware and a donation box and were also put up at the gallery for this purpose. The ceramics were painted by Baseer Basil, an artist.



Afghan Ambassador Janan Mosazai, who inaugurated the exhibition, thanked the Pakistani government for their sympathy, generosity and relief efforts. He added that 90 per cent of the proceeds from the exhibition would go to the victims of Badakshan province

Commenting on the creative relief initiative, Australian High Commissioner Peter Heyward said, “It is great to see that these thought-provoking pieces have been exhibited for an essential cause.”

The paintings and artworks were modestly priced, with the prices starting from Rs1,500 and going up to Rs3,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2014.