promoting Sustainable Development Goals

through arts

WE THE PEOPLESWE THE

ARTS2019

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© Embassy of SwitzerlandSeptember 2019

Islamabad, Pakistan

We the Peoples, We the Arts 2019 was produced by the Embassy of Switzerland in Pakistan and Pakistan National Council of the Arts in partnership with

Compilation: Ishrat Saleem & Shafaq ZaidiEditing: Claire Louise Blaser

Photogrpahy: MAK ProductionsGraphic Design: Mirko Neri

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WE THE PEOPLESWE THE ARTS

2019

promoting Sustainable Development Goals through arts

promoting Sustainable Development Goals through arts

WE THE PEOPLESWE THE

ARTS2019

6

BALOCHISTAN

p. 18 Athar Razap. 20 Bibi Masoomap. 22 Feroza Hakeemp. 24 Najeeb Balochp. 26 Rubina Gul

ISLAMABAD

p. 28 Sayera Anwer

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

p. 30 Muhammad Ibrahimp. 32 Muhammad Ibrahim Sardarp. 34 Muscca Sattar Jan Durranip. 36 Sana Ullah

PUNJAB

p. 38 Ali Arshadp. 40 Ariqa Amir Waseemp. 42 Bismah Hayatp. 44 Faiza Saleemp. 46 Janat Naeemp. 48 Mahnoor Khawajap. 50 Minahil Tauseefp. 52 Momina Shahidp. 54 Nayab Fatimap. 56 Noor Sajidp. 58 Raffia Azherp. 60 Sana Akramp. 62 Syed Muhammad Sibtainp. 64 Yumna Qamarp. 66 Zafar Iqbalp. 68 Zainab Aamir

SINDH

p. 70 Aiman Raufp. 72 Baneen Fatimap. 74 Dua Rabayp. 76 Haroon Rasheedp. 78 Haya Esbhanip. 80 Qiraat Soomrop. 82 Sumaiya Saiyedp. 84 Zahra Arif Rasheed

Forewordp. 6 Engaging with Pakistan’s Youth through Art

Backgroundp. 7 We the Peoples, We the Arts

The Artwork

The Juryp. 12 The Jury 2019p. 14 The Jury 2018p. 15 The Jury 2016

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It gives me great pleasure to present to you the catalogue of the third edition of We the Peoples, We the Arts, organised in partnership with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. Art students from all over Pakistan submitted 221 art pieces on

themes related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for this competition. The catalogue features the artwork se-

lected in the first round of jury held in July this year.

The submissions range from sculpture and miniature painting to mixed media and video. These artworks give a fascinating insight into how young

Pakistanis view the world they live in today. They have come up with unique crea-tive expressions on issues closest to their hearts.

Given the high quality of submissions, it was very challenging for the jury to select artists for the final round. The jury members wanted to ensure that the works would include a variety of approaches to contemporary art and practice, as well as represent geographical and gender di-versity. The finalists are invited to Islamabad where they will get a chance to interact with each other, participate in mentoring sessions with the international jury members and engage with the wider art community.

This initiative aims to generate a conversation about the Sustainable Development Goals among the youth and to give them international exposure. Over the course of three editions, the project has become a recognisable brand and sustained a cohort of young artists from all over Pakistan. In return, the Embassy of Switzerland had the privilege of engaging with Pakistani artists, art in-stitutions and their work. We built linkages that we will continue to nurture in the future as well.

I congratulate the talented young artists who have reached the final round and thank all parti-cipants for their time and effort. I would like to further express my gratitude to our partners and the jury members for sharing their expertise and for making this initiative so successful.

Thomas Kolly | Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan

ENGAGING WITH PAKISTAN’S YOUTH THROUGH ART

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A coincidence, yet significant, as it often happens: these days, while writing this text, I am working with a group of art students on sharing their ideas on ecological disasters and how such ur-gent concerns are addressed through visual art, literature, art

theory. It is the end of summer in Rome, we come from many different regions in the world, with diverse backgrounds, personal

stories, and knowledge. We won’t solve any problems, but we’ll form more articulate, complex, possibly even complicated and less linear

ideas, nurturing what we do.

What we do is working with art, as either artists or theoreticians, and this we take very seriously because while not preventing dramatic or violent events, art can bring re-pressed narratives to the surface, deconstruct assumptions, give voice to silence, make space for voids and gaps. This, while not preventing social and political problems from occurring, has an impact by raising awareness and encouraging critical readings of the world, especially among young generations.

The same ideas guided We the Peoples, We the Arts, a project developed by the Embassy of Switzerland, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United Nations Information Centre to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through visual arts. We the Peoples, We the Arts recognises in art a language that can empower indi-viduals and communities, and that can ensure that young people take a lead in social change.

Conceived through dialogue between Head of SDC in Pakistan Stefanie Burri and Director of UN Information Centre Vittorio Cammarota in 2016, the project is shaped around the concept of exchange, aimed at creating networks of people and institutions. It nurtures knowledge production, gathered through art representatives of countries as different as Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Austria, India and Pakistan – because art indeed has the capacity to expand borders, connect people, create communities and build on difference.

Cecilia Canziani | Jury member We the Peoples, We the Arts 2018 and 2019

WE THE PEOPLES, WE THE ARTS

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The first edition of We the Peo-ples, We the Arts invited stu-dents of five schools across Pakistan to develop works high-lighting the SDG ‘Zero Hunger’. The competition was conducted in two jury rounds: the first had mentors and university repre-sentatives select artworks for the second phase, in which an international jury of art experts awarded a winner for each of the categories: painting, miniature and sculpture. Most important-ly, the second round brought all the finalists together in Islam-abad for the award ceremony. Beyond being a competition, We the Peoples creates a frame-work for conversation among the young students, fostering exchange in a simple yet pow-erful way. Sitting in a circle, the students talked of their practice, experiences and backgrounds. They became a group, present-ing a rich image of a future gen-eration of leaders and ambassa-dors of their country.

Raising awareness among the new generations, developing new imagery on social issues, and providing a platform that fosters dialogue between the international art world and the young Pakistani art and educa-tional scenes are the concerns around which the first edition of We the Peoples revolved. And it succeeded, to the point that what

Finalists of the 2016 edition interacting with jury members at the UN Information Centre, Islamabad

Finalists of the 2018 edition interacting with jury members at Pakistan National Council of the Arts

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Finalists of the 2016 edition with jury members at the UN Information Centre Islamabad

was initially conceived as a one-off project became a three-edition venture, developed in close collaboration with international curator Alexie Glass-Kantor, who has been involved from the beginning.

A crucial aspect of the project has been the creation of deep relationships with various art schools across Pakistan, and building on their contribution as places that shape the future generations of rep-resentatives of the country abroad. Vis-its to the schools and to art institutions with the participation of the internation-al jury members constituted an organic part of the subsequent editions, further highlighting that dialogue develops out of mutual understanding and being present over time.

The second edition reached a larger num-ber of schools and submissions increased significantly. This time, the students could address any one of the 17 Sustainable De-velopment Goals, giving them the possi-bility to reflect on social, economic, and political concerns through a greater vari-ety of approaches. The exhibition of the finalist works was held at the Pakistan Na-tional Council of the Arts, which has since become a key partner. The students also received their mentoring in its spaces, highlighting the importance of art institu-tions as places of education and dialogue.

As in the first edition, the students were invited to spend three days in Islamabad, but this time they participated in a rich programme including visits, meetings and a mentoring session where the young art-ists discussed the works they submitted, their

L-R Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan Marc P. George, Priyanka Mathew, Vittorio Cammarota, Stefanie Burri, Benedik Hürzeler, Alexie Glass-Kantor and Myrah Nerine Butt at the Award Ceremony in 2016

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interests, hopes, goals. The conver-sations, which continued informally in the days to come, expanded on the role of artists in society, on art as a way to question inequality and to advocate for change.

A panel discussion included interloc-utors such as the respective deans of the participating schools, jury mem-bers Pakistani artists and activists. It addressed the role and effectiveness of international bodies within Paki-stan, the impact the competition had on the schools involved, the agency of art in raising awareness about socio-political concerns. This discussion was useful to frame the project and act as a think-tank for the next edition. What I believe is even more important is that over the course of three days, the fi-nalist students became a community: confronting approaches and practices, experiences and ideas together.

We the Peoples, We the Arts has now arrived at its third edition, completing a cycle and renewing itself over time. The first round of the jury took place in July at PNCA. More than two hundred works were submitted, represent-ing schools from all the regions of Pakistan. The competition for the first time allowed video and mixed media in addition to other art forms, so the students could propose their work be-yond disciplinary boundaries. The selection of five winners will not be easy: the submissions were engaging and gave evidence of the commitment of this generation of young artists.

I look at the students participating to the Summer School in Rome and remember the stu-dents that I met in Islamabad last year. I see the same passion and intensity in their dis-courses. I look at the way they get together, at their kindness, at the curiosity they have for one another, the attention they give, without reserve, to each other’s words and I think of the richness that they represent for the world they live in. I do believe that We the Peoples, We the Arts contributed to nurturing an art scene that is already recognised internationally as vibrant and exciting through a precise methodology, one that builds on dedication, dialogue and exchange: a time-space sharing.

Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan Thomas Kolly welcoming guests at a panel discussion at his residence in 2018

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The 2018 edition finalists with the Head of International Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland, Stefanie Burri and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan Thomas Kolly at his residence

Jury members after an interview at PTV, Islamabad, 2018The first round of jury of the 2018 edition at PNCA

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Amna Ismail PataudiArtist, Art Critic, and Independent Curator | PakistanExecutive Director, Pakistan National Council of the Arts | Pakistan

Bernhard FurgerDeputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland | Pakistan

Jamal ShahDirector General, Pakistan National Council of the Arts | Pakistan

Hurmat Ul AinArtist and Art Educationist | Pakistan

The Jury 2019

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Aasim AkhtarArtist, Art Critic and Independent Curator | Pakistan

Salima HashmiArtist, Curator and Author | PakistanFormer Principal, National College of Arts, Lahore | PakistanFormer Dean, School of Visual Arts & Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore | Pakistan

Giovanni CarmineDirector, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen | SwitzerlandCurator, Unlimited Sector, Art Basel | Switzerland

Priyanka MathewPrincipal Partner, Sunderlande, New York | USAFormer Regional Head and SeniorInternational Specialist for South Asian Art,Sotheby’s New York | USA

Cecilia Canziani Academic Advisor, Arts Management & Adjunct Faculty, Art History, American University of Rome | Italy

Alexie Glass-KantorExecutive Directory, Artspace, Sydney | AustraliaCurator, Encounters, Art Basel | Hong Kong

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Alexie Glass-KantorExecutive Director, Artspace, Sydney | AustraliaCurator, Encounters, Art Basel | Hong Kong

Cecilia Canziani Adjunct Professor, Accademia di Belle Arti, L’Aquila | ItalyAcademic Advisor, Arts Management & Adjunct Faculty, Art History, American University of Rome | Italy

Jamal ShahDirector General, Pakistan National Council of the Arts | Pakistan

Priyanka MathewPrincipal Partner, Sunderlande, New York | USAFormer Regional Head and SeniorInternational Specialist for South Asian Art,Sotheby’s New York | USA

Stefani BurriHead of International Cooperation,Embassy of Switzerland | Pakistan

Giovanni CarmineDirector, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen | Switzerland

Margaret AdamsonAustralian High Commissioner to Pakistan

Quddus MirzaHead of Department, Fine Arts, National College of Arts, Lahore | Pakistan

Tariq RangoonwalaChairman, ZVMG Rangoonwala Trust, Karachi | Pakistan

Brigitta BlahaAustrian Ambassador to Pakistan

The Jury 2018

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Alexie Glass-KantorExecutive Director, Artspace, Sydney | AustraliaCurator, Encounters, Art Basel | Hong Kong

Karin SeizCo-Director, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing – Lucerne | China – Switzerland

Priyanka MathewPrincipal Partner, Sunderlande, New York | USAFormer Regional Head and Senior International Specialist for South Asian Art, Sotheby’s New York | USA

Heike Munder Director, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich | Switzerland

Marc P. GeorgeAmbassador of Switzerland to Pakistan

Vittorio CammarotaDirector, United Nations Information Centre | Pakistan

The Jury 2016

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The Artwork

BALOCHISTAN

ThoughtsThe idea behind this is portrayed by making a cow scar on a human being. Humans like me have lived and survived this far in a country and a city where humans are cut and killed like cows. The symbol of cow is used because cows are calm and peaceful animals, just like a peaceful calm man who sees bloodshed all year is only asking for peace for the rest of his life.

Athar Raza | QuettaInstitute for Art and Culture, Lahore

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Graphite on kraft paper | 43 x 58 cm21

BALOCHISTAN

Silent ImageWomen empowerment implies the ability of women to take decisions with regard to their work and life. In this piece of collage, I surrounded a traditional woman with a dartboard and newspapers just to show that many of them still face exploitation and harassment, whether it be emotional, mental or sexual. Women can only empower themselves by standing up for their rights and by educating themselves – which are the positive leaves of their lives. The leaves symbolise that every darkness has a bright end, so by educating our girls and giving equal rights to all, women and men can lead a successful society.

Bibi Masooma | QuettaBalochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta

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Collage on wood | 84 x 66 cm23

BALOCHISTAN

My Brother, My PrideMy work explores connections between experiences of places, envi-ronment, time and memory. For me art is recalling a memory. The use of tires with flowers in this piece of my painting pays tribute to my brother, who was killed in serial target killings in Quetta on the Hazara ethnic group. His presence is in the lines and just an imagination for me now. Was he there, would he come back again, should I wait for him to return from his workshop? No, never, not at all. He’s in my memory, my brother, my elder, my guardian and my pride.

Feroza Hakeem | QuettaNational College of Arts, Lahore

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Gouache on wasli paper | 29.5 x 25.5 cm25

BALOCHISTAN

Maternal WingsThe facial expressions of the fictional stork bear testament to how tor-menting delivering a child is. Its wings wrapped around the egg show its maternal instincts and overtly protective nature. Commercialisation of childbirth, absence of qualified doctors, and lack of blood banks, dysfunctional health departments and improper infrastructure are all dilemmas expectant mothers face. If health courses were taught at all levels to all females across all educational institutions, health workers were educated through trainings, public awareness campaigns were run and seminars were conducted at the national level, then the high mortality rate in maternity cases could be lowered.

Najeeb Baloch | QuettaShaal Arts Academy, Quetta

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Fibreglass | 66 x 28 x 30 cm

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BALOCHISTAN

Eliminating Hunger through PoliciesThis piece of my art consists of coins, a broken plate and a spoon showing the current situation in my country, where everything is get-ting costly. The broken plate and coins indicate the government of my state and the spoon indicates the poor public striving for their basic rights like education, clothing, etc. With every passing day, their wor-ries are increasing. With hope that the Government of Pakistan will un-derstand and be able to help the public as soon as possible to eliminate this issue, I wish and pray that my state becomes one of the developed countries of the world.

Rubina Gul | QuettaBalochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta

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Colour print on paper | 33 x 48 cm

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ISLAMABAD

The Grass is Greener on the Other SideThe work takes inspiration from the event of partition between India and Pakistan resulting in borders that have become the subject of con-stant conflict, retaliation and fear between the two nations. My practice has been mainly about my own first-hand experience of the border between India and Pakistan in Lahore, where I photographed the farm-land of India across the border. The photograph consists of landscape images dominated by a dark fence dividing the two countries, which were one once. Therefore, I have painted over the fences, making it seem like one landscape, which speaks to a desire for a utopian idea of land without borders.

Sayera Anwar | IslamabadBeaconhouse National University, Lahore

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Painting on a photograph | 22.8 x 50.8 cm

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KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

I Am the World Behind the WorldMy sculpture is about women empowerment. God has created them powerful. They have the ability to speak broadly and loudly but the world wants them to seal their lips and never raise their voice. They have the ability to fly. To spread their fragrance of empowerment, to educate the next generation. Women are beautiful nature’s creation, but the people around them dishearten and discourage them from be-lieving in themselves and restrict them to home.

Muhammad Ibrahim | SwatUniversity of Peshawar

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Wood and metal | 34 x 11.5 x 12 cm

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KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

BrinkThis sculpture symbolises climate action as a metaphor through ma-terials and shape as a whole. This sculpture invokes the idea of indus-trialisation, its impact on our climate and deforestation. The posture of the human figure symbolises a human kind on the brink of anni-hilation and the material metal represents the focus of the consum-er world, neglecting climate changes happening in the recent past. This may lead us to mass extinction through climate change. The tree stump on the back of a human figure shows the clear relation between humankind and mother nature.

Muhammad Ibrahim Sardar University of Peshawar

| Peshawar

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| Peshawar

Metal | 17 x 11.5 x 29 cm

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KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

Cutlery of LifeThis is a symbolic piece that shows the inequality within our society. The transgender community is treated extremely poorly and given no rights, hence the rustic spoon. Female people are treated a little better than transgender people, but not well enough, as shown by the fork that is nearing its death. Lastly, the male population is treated superior to both, hence the sharp bright and shining knife, larger than the oth-ers, facing upwards. The background is a mixture of “male colours” and “female colours”, showing that we are all of the same set, yet treated completely differently.

Muscca Sattar Jan DurraniPakhtunkhwa College of Arts, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan

| Mardan

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Acrylic on canvas | 59 x 89 cm

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KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

War Means PovertyPoverty is caused by many factors but war is the main cause of it. Pa-kistan invests more of its budget in defense than improving the quality of health and education and eliminating poverty. My painting depicts poverty caused by war. The warm colours in my painting such as red put the focus on the alarming issues of poverty.

Sana Ullah | PeshawarUniversity of Peshawar

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Oil on canvas | 60 x 75 cm

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PUNJAB

Resolving the UnresolvedThe banal and benign is easy to ignore, which in turn makes it diffi-cult for the members of our society to realise gender equality. Hence, resolving the unresolved attempts to get people to acknowledge that there is an issue in relation to gender. Only then can promising solu-tions come about. The video delves into the idea of gender, material-ising gender and commodifying gender, paired with visuals of nature (the presumed mother earth) and distorted glimpses of nature almost as if they were technical errors (the presumed man-made).

Ali Arshad | LahoreBeaconhouse National University, Lahore

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Video (colour) | 172 seconds

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PUNJAB

PenuryIn the great words of Nelson Mandela “overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it’s an act of justice”. My painting is a mere depiction of a 4-year-old child who went for a swim in the canal and is now very elated and happy because he has defined his happiness with this act, regardless of how poor or rich he is. Poverty is not just endemic, it is also becoming increasingly concentrated. Removing poverty from our society might sound inevitable, but even fulfilling fundamental needs like clean water can bring so much joy.

Ariqa Amir Waseem | LahoreKinnaird College for Women, Lahore

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Oil on canvas | 91.5 x 61 cm43

PUNJAB

Article No. 25My artwork talks about patriarchal hypocrisy in our society. It is a rep-resentation of the underprivileged women in Pakistan who strive to support their families despite facing oppression. Deriving elements from iconoclasm, it also talks about local censorship practices, particu-larly in the South Asia region where aggression towards the female form is at its extreme.

Bismah Hayat | LahoreNational College of Arts, Lahore

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Collage and digital print on paper | 40.6 x 50.8 cm

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PUNJAB

Sustainability and Justice My artwork revolves around the representation of a peaceful and tran-quil environment in our society and around impartial administration. My product is based solely on textile techniques to represent my goal metaphorically. First, the solid form was sculpted with recycled fabric to evoke the sustainability of growth. Then I applied the waffle weave, made on the 16 shaft loom to portray the interwoven complex connections within the communities, and lastly, I coiled the double layered thick yarn around the empty space so that it gives the impact of a strong justice administration that empowers and keeps the whole society tightly intact.

Faiza Saleem | LahoreKinnaird College for Women, Lahore

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Textile | 64 x 36 x 36 cm

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PUNJAB

It Might Be Too LateThis motion of pictures, this sequence of imagery and this combina-tion of shapes and colours stands for a story where we humans are the antagonists while the mightier part of our planet is the victim. Our oceans are being choked into a state of irreparable annihilation by our malpractices. We’ll understand and stop one day, when we realise that oceans are far more than trade routes and resource sites, far more than estates to lay nets in and far more than a dumping site, but we should rightfully fear that the day we realise this, it might be a day too late.

Janat Naeem | GujranwalaKinnaird College For Women, Lahore

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Video (colour) | 67 seconds

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PUNJAB

Shifted RoleGender inequality remains an everyday reality for the world’s women and girls. My artwork is based on gender equality, illustrated through a woman sitting in a manly posture with a pixelated face. I have used pixelation here so that no gender is highlighted. According to me, both men and women should have equal opportunities and rights without any differences.

Mahnoor Khawaja | LahoreKinnaird College For Women, Lahore

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Watercolour and photo transferring on paper | 43 x 27.9 cm

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PUNJAB

One Stitch at a TimeMy work is a form of expression, which highlights the emotional strug-gles of these children through the crumbled paper and its subtle hand-print created by a child’s hand. The paper is constructed with fabric and the lines on the paper made one stitch at a time. Some stitches are coming apart and unraveling.

Minahil Tauseef | LahoreKinnaird College For Women, Lahore

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Graphite on fabric | 25 x 18 cm

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PUNJAB

Be WaterwiseDay by day, second by second, drop by drop, we lose the essence of our ecosystem. From overflowing bathtubs to leaking pipes it is slow-ly slipping away to be lost forever. Most of us take its abundancy for granted, while others are completely deprived of this blessing (repre-sented here by the blank spaces). It is imperative that we pay attention to this critical situation for the sake of the generations to come.

Momina Shahid | LahoreKinnaird College For Women, Lahore

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Video (colour) | 72 seconds

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PUNJAB

Suppressed Emotions The world’s wealth is held by a small group of people, which leads to financial and social discrimination. Unfortunately, extreme hunger and malnutrition remain a huge barrier to development in many coun-tries. My painting shows how physical wealth suppresses humans and that leads to emotions of misery. Inequality is caused by the unequal distribution of resources within the population. If a child is born in an undeveloped country and one is born in a developed country, both naturally have the same emotions, but different resources. I painted digital numbers to portray this extreme calculation of humanity and how inequality suppresses human emotions.

Nayab Fatima | FaisalabadInstitute of Art & Design, Government College University, Faisalabad

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Gouache on wasli paper | 10 x 12 cm

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PUNJAB

Empowered WomanMy artwork celebrates the birth of a girl, an empowered woman, who rarely becomes a source of joy and delight for the family she is born into in our society. Here an egg, as a symbol of fertility, in the crib is paying tribute to womanhood, praising it to the level of divinity.

Noor Sajid | LahoreKinnaird College For Women, Lahore

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Gouache and gold on wasli paper | 28 x 16.5 cm59

PUNJAB

Coexist or No ExistMy work revolves around deforestation, logging and the irreversible damaging effects of industrialisation and urban development. It high-lights the need for coexistence and a focus towards the conservation of green belts and forests.

Raffia Azher | LahoreKinnaird College For Women, Lahore

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Graphite and varnish on wood | 13 x 28 x 26 cm

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PUNJAB

Gender EqualityI think equality underscores the fact that men and women as intrinsic human beings should have the same opportunities and human rights. Equality stresses the truth that none of them is supposed to deprive the other of these rights and opportunities. The rights of women should be the same as those of men and no one has the right to suppress them.

Sana Akram | Burewala University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

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Watercolour on paper | 35 x 56 cm

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PUNJAB

Life Below WaterMy work illustrates the alarming situation created by human activi-ties underwater. The coal tar represents two extremes, which result in generating chaos. The calmness of tar layers at the top represents una wareness and subtle destruction, while the chaos at the bottom is what this calmness ends up as. Coal tar itself is apprehended in its na-ture while white canvas makes the statement more prominent.

Syed Muhammad Sibtain National College of Arts, Rawalpindi

| Rawalpindi

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Coal tar on canvas | 121 x 60 cm

| Rawalpindi

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PUNJAB

Periods PovertyA world where menstruation, a natural bodily function that women (al-most half of the world) go through, is stigmatised, a majority doesn’t know of and can’t afford menstrual hygiene products. Beneath these red threads (symbolising blood) are small bags containing cheap alter-natives (socks, old rags, etc.) that women often use instead. Poor men-strual hygiene can cause physical health risks like reproductive issues and urinary tract infections. Menstrual taboo creates extra hurdles in women’s paths to education and opportunities crucial for their growth. Due to this, they are often forced into child marriages and experience early pregnancy, malnourishment, and domestic violence.

Yumna Qamar | Bahawalpur University College of Art & Design, Islamia University, Bahawalpur

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Wool, wood, fabric and paper | 124 x 60 x 60 cm

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PUNJAB

HomelandWattan hai jannat, homeland is your heaven. The marine life has suf-fered for many years at the hands of human beings. Illegal activities in the ocean such as poaching, breaking fishing laws and polluting have depleted fish population. Pollution has destroyed the habitats of ma-rine life, their homeland. I have portrayed the homeland of the marine life in gold and the area beneath it in grey portrays how their habitats have been destroyed and the dark times that they face.

Zafar Iqbal | LahoreNational College of Arts, Lahore

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Watercolour and gold on paper | 38.1 x 58.4 cm

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PUNJAB

We Are OneMy artwork revolves around the idea of gender equality. I believe that the state can achieve harmony only if every citizen, including trans-gender people, is considered important and treated equally, without disparity. As an artist, my critical observation of such issues has led me to bring this matter to the forefront, which I have done through the illustration of a portrait where the fragments of three genders are combined through the connecting lines to form a whole.

Zainab Aamir | Lahore Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore

70

Gouache on wasli paper | 24.5 x 18 cm

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SINDH

Beauty of the BeachThe colours in this diptych art piece are inspired by the most beautiful scenes of the ocean, i.e. sunrise and sunset. So I made this artwork from the colours of sunrise and sunset with polythene bags to show that if we want to develop our ocean and marine life, we should first ban single use plastic.

Aiman Rauf | KarachiUniversity of Karachi

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Polythene bags on wood | 15.2 x 22.9 cm each

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SINDH

Art for AllIn Pakistan, where education itself is compromised, art education has been a highly neglected academic field. Even though there is no lack of uber-talented artistic people, few schools, colleges and universities exist that promote art education. Therefore, students are forced into business or science degrees. Being a medical student myself, it was tough for me to pursue an art career. Through my work, I want to pro-mote art education as an equally important academic discipline. Stu-dents lose their passion due to educational stereotypes and it’s about time this concern is raised not only in institutions, but in our homes.

Baneen Fatima | KarachiIndus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi

74

Watercolour on paper | 25 × 21 cm75

SINDH

Thank You for Shopping with UsThe contaminated waters of the world and the extensive use of plastic is an alarming issue around the globe. Life under water is under con-stant threat and many species are on the brink of extinction. My work is a comment on how the only colored visual that we see on the beach-es and in the water is plastic.

Dua Rabay | Karachi Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi

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Photo transfer and watercolour on paper | 17.7 x 55.8 cm

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SINDH

LabelledIn a conservative society a women is always labelled and judged with-out knowing the depth of her but by the way she looks, the clothes she wears, or the people she is with.

Haroon Rasheed | Lahore Karachi School Of Art

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Digital print on plotter paper | 90 x 60 cm79

SINDH

AbsenceAfter a recent experience while teaching fifth grade students at an underprivileged school located in Korangi, Karachi, I wanted to focus on the issue of child marriage. Upon inquiring about the dropout of a bright female student in my class, it came to my knowledge that her parents were getting her married without her consent. Through my art, I depict how boys are favored over girls and are allowed to study or at least complete basic education, whereas girls are expected to stay at home or are forced to marry at a very early age.

Haya Esbhani | Karachi Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi

80

Graphite and photo transfer on watercolour paper | 29 x 42 cm

81

SINDH

Bins of ProsperityMy artwork describes the fundamental role of organisation in our so-ciety. The process of organising trash starting at the household level plays a significant part in a sustainable lifestyle. Our society is negli-gent towards separating trash in four basic divisions: recyclable, reus-able, reshapable and biodegradable. Dumping all trash together neg-atively impacts the environment, it contaminates the water, pollutes the air and spreads lethal ailments in the surroundings. Systematically organising the trash can bring a huge change in the country socially, economically and environmentally. It can improve the sanitation sys-tem of the country at large, resulting in a green and clean Pakistan.

Qiraat Soomro | Hyderabad National College of Arts, Rawalpindi

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Ink, charcoal, pastels and found objects on canvas | 68 x 109 cm

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SINDH

Riding Away the Patriarchy Pakistani women have started riding bikes, which was previously con-sidered a taboo. Riding and kicking their way to end the patriarchy, I designed a helmet to celebrate this small leap towards a modern and free country.

Sumaiya Saiyed | Karachi Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi

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Fabric | 22 x 22 x 35 cm

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SINDH

InfirmMy work revolves around my grandmother, who passed away due to cancer. This painting of her hand shows the fragility and paleness of her skin because of her sickness. Through my personal experience of mistreatment and negligence, I intend to address the importance of health and well-being for all at all ages.

Zahra Arif Rasheed | KarachiIndus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi

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Gadrang on wasli paper | 29 x 20.5 cm87

promoting Sustainable Development Goals through arts

WE THE PEOPLESWE THE

ARTS2019

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© Embassy of Switzerland September 2019

Islamabad, Pakistan

We the Peoples, We the Arts 2019 was produced by the Embassy of Switzerland in Pakistan and Pakistan National Council of the Arts in partnership with

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