Written by: Mahnoor Fatima
Posted on: September 06, 2019 | 
| 中文
Interactive Mural
The Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) hosted an art exhibition on Thursday called “Stolen Paradise”. The Chief Guest for the occasion was the First Lady, Mrs. Samina Alvi. “Stolen Paradise” aimed to bring together members of the artistic community to reflect and stand with the Kashmiris suffering at the hands of the ruthless Indian government and its army.
Director General of PNCA, Mr. Jamal Shah as well as the First Lady Mrs. Alvi, emphasized the need for artists to be seen as equally important to freedom struggles. They should be able to reflect the times, and do their part in raising awareness of important social and political issues. Mrs. Alvi believed that the freedom fighters of Kashmir have inspired Pakistani writers, poets and artists to create work to express solidarity with the Kashmiris.
Photograph of a girl protesting rape in Kashmir
The paintings belonged to notable Pakistani artists like Ghulam Rasul, Amna Ismail Pataudi, Salima Hashmi and more. They focused on the horrors witnessed by the Kashmiri people under Indian occupation, with the color red being a notable feature of each painting.
Each painting was carefully surrounded by photographs of the hardships and cruelty faced by Kashmiri civilians at the hands of the Indian Army. The photos depicted protests against rape, victims of pellet guns, civilians mourning their loved ones among other things. The audience was deeply moved by the images of Kashmiris who have continuously stood up against the aggression and have lost their loved ones in the process.
Paintings surrounded by pictures
While the paintings and photographs were older pieces, Mr. Shah explained that displaying them was necessary to remind the audience of the relentless tyranny that had been forced upon the Kashmiris by the Modi government long before the events of August.
Perhaps the biggest and most notable exhibit was the mural of pellet victims, which PNCA had put up as an interactive mural. The attendees were asked to paint messages for the people of Kashmir. While some wrote slogans of freedom, others drew beautiful images to pay tribute to Kashmiri brothers and sisters. Notable poet Iftikhar Arif recited a poem that he had written for the Kashmiris, and the audience burst into applause.
Dancers at PNCA performed a moving mime about the suffering and the resilience of the Kashmiri people. Mrs. Alvi expressed Pakistan’s full support in Kashmir’s efforts for self-determination, and was optimistic that Kashmir would achieve their goals in the future.
The mime performance
Mr. Shah, who officially signed off as DG after this event, ended his speech by announcing a donation of two paintings by Ahmed Bashir to PNCA. We at Youlin thank Mr. Jamal Shah for his contributions at PNCA, and for using art to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters suffering in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
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