About 50 artists got together and sent their 120 artworks, including calligraphy and sculptures, for an exhibition at Tagh’eer Lahore Creative Space in the Upper Mall area to generate funds for the flood relief activities.

The gallery had given a call for the artists to contribute to the flood relief activities by donating their artworks in the wake of the devastating floods that cause destruction in almost all provinces of the country.

“We (Tagh’eer Lahore Creative Space) had called for donations. We got more than 120 artworks as donations from more than 50 artists. Some gave us their one painting while some others gave their three or four paintings or their artworks. Many of them have been sold out,” says Nashmia Haroon, the founder and director at Tagh’eer.

There are two parts of the exhibition, divided between senior and renowned artists and less renowned but established artists. Among the artists whose work is on display included Farida Batool, Mohsin Shafi, Laila Rehman, Lubna Jahangir, Masooma Saeed, Usman Saeed, Osheen Saeed, Rabeya Jalil, Kiran Saleem, Sana Saeed, Tehseen Khan, Safdar Qureshi and Javed Iqbal.

Nashmia said the sale of paintings was still going on online as more people are inquiring and buying them through different mediums and social media. The art enthusiasts book the artworks online and do the deposit, she added.

There is a variety of paintings and those who want to contribute to flood relief funds can make the purchase according to their own capacity. A painting is priced at Rs5,000 as minimum while the highest price is Rs200,000 for a set of four paintings. There are others that range from Rs15,000 up to Rs70,000.

“We don’t have much idea of funds generated through the exhibition yet. We would do the collections after the whole process is over,” adds Nashmia.

Regarding the launch of the fundraiser, she says the concept of the venture is to donate funds, making the art enthusiasts as well as painters and artists to enable them to contributing to raising funds for flood relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.

“In the times of inflation, the artists are also suffering. We can’t pay from their pockets in monetary terms. However, their art is worth much more than money so we are contributing through our art,” says Nashmia who herself is an artist. She says that the young artists showed more enthusiasm and they have donated most to the cause.

Talking about other ventures in the near future, Nashmia says that after this exhibition, the next project of Tagh’eer would be to gather the musicians for a concert to do performances free of cost. There would be tickets on entry and the contributions, which would go to the flood relief fund. “That’s how artist community, painters and singers, can contribute to the relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.”

Lubna Jahangir, who is also a part of the exhibition at Tagh’eer, had seen the call for artists on Instagram to send their works for the raising funds by the gallery and sent her painting. She says she sent her four paintings for the cause.

“I was already putting together my own appeal for funds –art in exchange for donations. I decided to donate some of my pieces for their cause too,” she says, adding that she had raised funds similarly during the Covid pandemic too and helped 50 families for three months.

Regarding such ventures, Luban argues, “If I donate (funds) from my monthly income, I may not be able to donate a lot. But the exchange (artworks in exchange of donations) allows me to collect more money for the cause”.

The online sale at Tagh’eer is still going on. The gallery is collaborating with the Zaman Foundation through which the funds would reach the flood victims. All the donations collected through the exhibition would go to the Zaman Foundation.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2022