Pakistan’s artists join effort to help schools in Swat Valley

Some of Pakistan’s leading artists have donated works to be auctioned as part of a fund-raising effort for schools in the Swat Valley. As part of a project that intends both to collect as much money as possible as well as raise the international profile of the country’s artists and their work, organisers appealed to many of the country’s leading names. The response was remarkable.

“I wanted to do something. People are always being asked to give, so you have to think of something different,” said Nuria Rafique-Iqbal, one of the founders of the organisation Pakistan Rising, which has offices in both the UK and Pakistan. “I also felt that because Pakistan generates such negative publicity, this would put a positive Pakistan on the international scene. There is too much negative publicity. People are trying to do creative things, trying to be dynamic.”

Among those who have donated works to be auctioned at Bonhams next month is Rashid Rana, considered one of the country’s most important contemporary artists. The Lahore-born Rana, who studied at the city’s National College of Arts (NCA), traveled to the US for further studies before returning to Pakistan. He has contributed a powerful colour print, Dead Bird Flying Series II. [see above.]

“Any organisation or group that is doing something for the welfare of the people is good, especially in places such as Pakistan where the government infrastructure is not in place,” Rana said, speaking from Lahore. “Many people will give. Even those people who don’t trust the government and who don’t pay taxes like to give something. We have seen that when there are floods or earthquakes. I am no exception.”

The 43-year-old artist said he also believed the project may help educate people about art and artists. “Apart from its own impact, if people get help from an artist they may have a different opinion and not think [art] is just a frivolous thing people do in their spare time,” he added.

Another artist who has donated a work is Shafaq Ahmad. Ms Ahmad was born and raised in Pakistan and subsequently lived in the UK, Iran and Denmark before settling in the United States. She has given an oil paining, Al Baqi, [see below} to be sold.

The money raised by the sale will be used to help develop half a dozen schools operated by the charity, five in the Swat Valley and one in the south of Punjab province. The Swat Valley was famed throughout the country as a traditional holiday resort but four years ago it started slipping into the control of the Taliban. The military has since driven out the militants and attempts are made to return life to normal. The funding will also be used for vocational training for adults, both men and women. The organisers of the auction have decided that the six artists whose works raise the most money will be thanked by having an art room in each school named for them. A portion of the money will also go towards flood relief in the south of the country.

The Lahore-based Mrs Rafique-Iqbal, whose grandfather-in-law was Sir Muhammed Iqbal, one of the nation’s most celebrated and important poets and philosophers, said that in addition to the auction arranged by Bonhams on October 3, the charity was running a second, online sale throughout October. Among the artists who had donated items to be sold in this way are  Anwar Saeed, Mashkoor Raza, Saba Khan and Khaver Idrees.

Another graduate of the Lahore NCA who has donated work to be sold in aid of the schools in Swat, is Fazia Butt. Born in Lahore but now based in London, Ms Butt has given a digitial print [see below], the Mouth of your Eyes-2. She said she happy to be raising funds and boost the profile of Pakistani artists, who have gradually been earning increased international attention.  “Good news is not news,” she said of the way Pakistan’s woes usually dominate newspaper headlines. “If it’s not sensationalism then it does not register, it just gets lost. If you talk about people doing good work, it does not make big news.”

UPDATE: The charity held its auction last night in London, raising more than 30,000 pounds for its schools in the Swat valley. One of the group’s co-founders, Nuria Rafique-Iqbal, emailed to say:  ”It went really well. We raised over 33,000, which is great, with the Rashid Rana piece fetching us 16,000 pounds alone. Rashid came to the event and was really happy that we had raised a good amount of funds from his work. The event was well attended, [there was a] good crowd.”

The charity is now focusing on the second part of its fund-raising project, with an online auction that remains open until the end of October. People can bid online at www.pakrisingcharityart.co.uk

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