Winners of ‘We the Peoples’ We the Arts 2018’ announced

Islamabad :An international jury announced winners of an art competition on ‘We the Peoples, We the Arts 2018’ at the residence of the Swiss Ambassador here Thursday. Each of the four winners and 25 finalists were given cash prizes, certificates and gifts.

Organised by the Embassy of Switzerland in collaboration with several local and international partners, the competition invited students to produce artwork in four categories—sculpture, painting and miniature painting and print making—on themes related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. Fine arts students aged 18 and above enrolled in accredited Pakistani colleges and universities were eligible to participate.

Murk Mangi won in the painting category. Originally from Larkana, she is currently studying fine arts at Beaconhouse National University in Lahore. Fahiem Ul Haq, a student of Balochistan University Institute of Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, made the winning sculpture. The award for miniature painting went to Lahore's Zainab Aamir, who is studying fine arts at Kinnaird College for Women. Zainub Abdul Hussain bagged the prize for printmaking. She is completing her degree at the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture in Karachi. Tooba Ashraf and Gulsoom Musa were highly commended by the jury in painting and miniature painting, respectively.

Murk Mangi’s painting is on gender equality. Slates are still used in rural areas to teach children and to allow them to explore their creativity. A slate is like a canvas for kids in rural areas. “I have used slates in my artwork, each of which represents an element of childhood through drawing and painting. Girls are forced to drop out of school to get married and assume household responsibilities. This is the denial of their right to education. Girls who leave school have worse health and economic prospects than those who stay in school. Eventually, this impacts not just their own lives but also those of their children,” Murk expressed.

Fahiem-ul-Haq’s winning sculpture represents breaking the barriers which cause poverty and hunger. “The hands appear to pass through the barbed wires, which represent the hurdles. The flower stands for the bread (‘chapati’). In this process, some of the petals of the flower are torn off by the sharp ends of the wire. The hands represents my own, which conveys that if one keeps trying then one can achieve anything, despite opposition,” he explained.

Zainab’s miniature painting has explored the idea of gender equality and empowerment; men, women and transgender people are equal and must have equal status and rights. All three must exist in harmony in order to form a healthy and vibrant whole.

Zainab AbdulHussain specifically focuses on women who want to present themselves in an attire where they are fully covered. “I view the Muslim clothing, hijab, veil and rida (Dawoodi Bohra communal attire) as a form of protection. I capture visuals of various covered objects in my surroundings – in public and private spaces. It is common experience that cloth or ‘chadar’ offers protection. This notion is reflected in my study of a vehicle that has been covered by its owner to shield it from any kind of external harm or damage,” the artist mentioned.

Gender equality, women’s empowerment, child rights, education, poverty and environment were recurrent themes of the 146 artworks received in February. Each of the four winners was awarded 500 Swiss francs (roughly Rs. 57,600). All finalists were invited to Islamabad to participate in the award ceremony, where they were each awarded 200 Swiss francs (roughly Rs. 23,000). Artwork from all the 25 finalists was featured in a high-quality catalogue and will be auctioned at PNCA on May 14 at 4 pm.

The final jury comprised Alexie Glass-Kantor, Curator Art Basel Hong Kong and Director Art Space Sydney, Australia; Cecilia Canziani from the Accademia di Belle Arti L’Aquila and the American University of Rome; Priyanka Mathew, Principal Partner at Sunderlande New York; Tariq Rangoonwala, Chairman, Rangoonwala Trust, Karachi; Brigitta Blaha, Austrian Ambassador to Pakistan; Margret Adamson, Australian Ambassador to Pakistan; and Amina Pataudi, Director of PNCA Lahore.

The announcement of winners was preceded by a panel discussion on what role international development aid can play in the promotion of arts in Pakistan.