ISLAMABAD: To celebrate the 37th anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian embassy and Lok Virsa hosted a ‘Fine Arts and Cultural Exhibition’ on Monday.

Eminent Iranian artists attended the exhibition and gave live demonstrations of their art including the making of metal inlays in wood, stone crafting, painting, embroidering and the making of traditional dresses. Others had displayed their art pieces like handicrafts, books and calligraphy.

A documentary about the development in Iran after the revolution, titled ‘The Elegant Proud Land-Iran Today’ was also screened and a group of children presented the Iranian national anthem.

The Iranian ambassador, Mehdi Honardost, appreciated the artists from his country for promoting their culture and sought suggestions from them on how to strengthen cultural ties with Pakistan.

The event marked the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution

“During my stay here I found Pakistan to be a marvelous country and a great neighbour.

Speaking at the event, Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of Iran, Shahaboddin Daraei said art was almost always associated with beauty. However, it can also be a powerful tool to portray violence, discrimination, poverty and other societal ills, he added.

“Our religion is in danger as many groups like the Taliban and Daesh are promoting war, hatred and ruthlessness in the name of Islam. Under such circumstances, artists cannot turn a blind eye towards the sufferings of the people in Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Iraq,” he said.

Lok Virsa Executive Director Fouzia Saeed agreed, saying promotion of culture can also be instrumental in bringing peace and eliminating war and terrorism.

“We have a very strong cultural relationship with Iran and we are honoured to receive well-known Iranian artists who will teach their skills to those who are interested,” she added.

Along with Iranian artists, their Pakistani counterparts were also busy teaching visitors to the exhibition their skills. An artist from Chakwal, Deeba Rana, was making decoration pieces from paper mache and was painting them in vibrant water colours.

Paper mache is a mixture of paper and glue or of paper, flour and water that hardens when it dries and can be used to make a number of things including boxes, trays or decoration pieces.

Ms Rana said she had been making paper mache art since she was 13.

“I love this art and it gives me so much satisfaction after I am done making a good piece. I am here to show my skills to people and to teach children and transfer my skills to them because they are our assets,” she added.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2016