ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Pir Muhammad Aminul Hasnat Shah on Monday inaugurated a calligraphy exhibition titled ‘Mesmerising Colours of Calligraphy’.

The exhibition, where works of artist Azeem Iqbal were on display, was organised by the Embassy of Tajikistan and Institute of Peace and Diplomacy (IPD) at the National Library.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said Pakistan was at the crossroads of the rich and deep-rooted historical and cultural traditions of various arts and crafts as it was the home of many ancient civilisations.

Calligraphy is an art that has flourished during the Islamic renaissance.

President of the Institute of Peace and Diplomacy Farhat Asif introduced the work of IPD, stating that the institute was promoting peace through building bridges amongst divides and creating links amongst religions, cultures, civilisations – thus, working beyond borders.

Ambassador of Tajikistan Sherali Jononov said that calligraphy was the art that combined visual image and written word.

He added that it was an art form which not only linked the Muslim world but also mesmerised non-Muslims.

Azeem shared that he addressed the evolution of Islamic art in his work by using historically accurate material such as bone, wood, leather, deer skin, metal and stones. He has also used gold and silver leaf in his paintings.

Interestingly, he has used the water of the well of Zamzam to dilute the colours.

Mrs Amin, a visitor to the exhibition, said the paintings were wonderful and she intended to bring her family back the next day.

“They are the history of Islam and the artist has used gold and silver on them as well as the sacred water of Zamzam,” she added.

The artist has been inspired by Sadequain and Gulgee, both master calligraphers of Pakistan.

Azeem believes that the use of the ‘takhti and qalam’ in his childhood led to an affinity for calligraphy while a passion and devotion for Sufism resulted in his career as an artist.

He has worked as an artist for 15 years and held numerous showings.

The artist said repeatedly, “I am self-taught” by which he meant that he had not received a formal degree in art from any of the established art schools in the country.

Nevertheless, Azeem has attended many workshops on different aspects of Islamic art and culture.

His palette seems to comprise largely of browns and blues. When asked he says he used the colours of mud – clay – and his ‘canvas’ was the galaxy.

Ambitious and grandiloquent as that sounds, Azeem’s work shows passion and devotion to the art of calligraphy. While in some cases it lacks the finesse that one associates with ‘taught’ artists, who have learnt to draw, it does have the merit of enthusiasm.

There is also attention to detail as many of the frames are made to compliment the calligraphies within – with complementary colours, material and motifs.

While the calligraphies are worth a visit, the choice of venue could have been more sensible.

The hall used for the exhibition has seen better days with peeling paint and poor lighting and the lack of a curator could be felt in the haphazard, unbalanced placement of the paintings.