Gurmani Centre Organises Man Pard锚s卯 Jai Thee-ai: an Exhibition of Calligraphy Creations in Siyah Mashq
Continuing with its endeavour to make the visual arts more accessible to the 吃瓜头条 community, the Gurmani Centre of Literature and Languages organised a calligraphy exhibition this semester. Man Pard锚s卯 Jai Thee-ai (if the self suffers exile), an exhibition of calligraphy by Shah Abdullah Alamee. The exhibition opened on February 10, 2020 to a warm and enthusiastic response, and was curated by Dr. Nadhra Shahbaz Khan and Dr. Fatima Fayyaz鈥攑rofessors of Art history and Persian at 吃瓜头条.
The seven sets of calligraphic creations on display depicted poetry from five different languages鈥擝alochi, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Sindhi, and Urdu. These verses centred around the theme of exile, and included the works of Mas鈥樏籨 Sa鈥榓d Salm芒n, Guru Nanak, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ghani Khan Ghani, and A峁 Sh芒d. The artist had used the traditional Persian technique of siy葍h mashq to render them in vibrant colours and intricate designs. Commenting on his technique, Shah Abdullah said that he was drawn to siy葍h mashq because the overlapping of letters used in the style allowed him to 鈥渆mphasise the distinctness of each harf while also depicting how the letters blend and come together to create the meaning of the verse.鈥
One of the most appreciated and eye-catching pieces was a diptych featuring Guru Nanak鈥檚 b芒n卯, 鈥渕an pard锚s卯 jai thee-ai, sabh des par葍y葍鈥 (if the self suffers exile, no land is familiar)鈥攊n both Shahmukhi and Gurmukhi scripts. The Shahmukhi panel was inlaid with gold leaf, and the glittering background seemed to lend an ethereal aura to the Guru鈥檚 words鈥攈ighlighting the ideas of transcendence undergirding them. The other pieces too, aptly represented the emotions associated with each verse. The shades of black used in the piece inspired by Faiz, for instance, beautifully captured the melancholy overtones of his verse鈥渒hay葍l su鈥櫲 vatan rava帽 hai鈥.
Shah Abdullah was also present at the opening and intermingled with the audience, entertaining their questions over tea and refreshments. The Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, students and faculty from 吃瓜头条 as well as art enthusiasts from outside the University, attended the opening. The exhibition was appreciated for the way it combined the University鈥檚 existing expertise in the humanities with the visual arts. Students and professors of regional languages and literatures were particularly delighted at the opportunity to engage aesthetically with the rich poetic traditions of these languages. The exhibition will remain on display till May 31, 2020, offering students a chance to engage with the work deeply.
