Pakistani artists’ talent to be exhibited in Jeddah

[BLACKEAGLE]

An exhibition of Islamic arts and craftsis being organized by the Pakistan Consul General at Ana Special Mall Sept. 18-21.
Pakistan Consul General Abdul Salik Khan said the work of 17 Pakistani artists, including the calligraphic artist of Prophet Mosque, Shafiq Al Zaman, will be exhibited. In addition, other Pakistani artists from the four provinces of Pakistan will be displayed. The Pakistani artists’ delegation will be lead by Naheed Imam, the director of National art gallery Pakistan.
Khan said the exhibition will strengthen the cultural ties between two friendly countries but also to strengthen the image of Islam.
“It will be a show case of vibrant and distinctive features of Islamic art and represent the innovative artistic work of Pakistani artists, which will give boost to cultural ties and also will help in giving the soft image of Islam, not only among Muslim communities but also others who are interested in Islamic calligraphy,” said Khan.
He also said Pakistani consulate has developed partnership with Saudi businesses to promote Pakistani traditional Islamic arts and crafts.
“This year on the request of our partners the scope of exhibition has been expended to include Islamic Miniature art, traditional furniture and paintings of Islamic architecture, this year’s exhibition is also a result of hard work and keen interest of deputy Consul General Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Almost 4,000 people visited last year’s exhibition in two to three days and 60,000 visited the website,” he said.
The works of Pakistani artists and artisans exude maturity and confidence brought about by a glorious and unbroken tradition. Pakistani crafts people have always exhibited a willingness to innovate and experiment. With exposure to new ideas and movements, their ability to synthesize and improvise has led to an inevitable variety in their works.
The main features of the exhibition are:
Calligraphy:
Arabic script has been an important constituent of Pakistan’s Islamic heritage. Turathuna will highlight the continuity of tradition of calligraphy which goes back to the time of Caliph Umar Ibn Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) and Caliph Ali (May Allah be pleased with him). In various Islamic lands this tradition has been carefully nurtured and enriched, particularly in Pakistan where it constitutes country’s primary cultural identity and heritage.
Islamic Architecture:
Majestic domes and minarets, ornamented pulpits of mosques and religious schools, palaces, courtyards, beautiful gardens with water fountains and fragrant roses, spacious caravanserais and tombs decorated with patterned brickwork, tile mosaic often in blue, golden and green, splendid molded mihrab facings with columnar bands of Qur’anic inscriptions, sophisticated geometrical and floral engravings and high ramparts. These features characterize magnificent Islamic architecture. Islamic countries including Pakistan host world’s finest Islamic architecture. The art wxpo will celebrate the glory of Islamic architecture in beautiful paintings.
Islamic Miniature:
The origin of miniature art is attributed to the Umayyad doctors who had commissioned painters to develop illustrated training manuals for scientific explanations. Miniature illustrations were, inter alia, utilized to show important scenes as well as acts of war and peace in popular legends and stories such as Alf Laila wa Laila, Dastaan Amir Hamza and Qissa Yusuf Zulaikha. With the passage of time, miniature became an integral part of Arab, Persian, Turkic and Pakistan’s Islamic art traditions. In Pakistan, it has acquired the status of national art under the rubric of the Mughal Art. The Art Expo will showcase this cultural delicacy in its true colors and technique.
Furniture:
In many Muslim lands, craftsmen treated wood as a precious resource. They learned to use small pieces of it to great artistic advantage, elaborating such techniques as carving and marquetry, in which a surface is entirely covered with little pieces of wood veneer laid side-by-side to form patterns. Turathuna will showcase some of the exquisite pieces of furniture made in Pakistan.

Pakistani artists