ISLAMABAD: The National Library of Pakistan on Sunday pulled a crowd to appreciate books and libraries through art.

It hosted a show inviting entries from all over the country for an art show that organisers claimed was the first of its kind on the theme of “Books and Libraries.

A few artists from China and Uzbekistan also contributed to more than 60 colourful paintings and installations that were put on display in one of the corridors of the National Library.

The exhibition was held to mark the silver jubileeof the library.

“It is the first painting exhibition of its kind on the particular theme in the world, at least to our knowledge.

“The enthusiasm and dedication shown by visual artists for participation in the exhibition is not only encouraging but exciting,” said National Library of Pakistan Director General Syed Ghayyur Hussain.

Asrar Farooqi, the curator of the show, explained that the idea was to bring to forefront the traditions that had been pushed in the background over the years such as writing letters and the longing that came with waiting to receive it.

Similarly, modernisation and digitisation – mobiles, tabs and computers – have pushed the tradition of sitting in libraries to study into the backdrop.

“The artists have preserved on canvases how they feel about books and reading in libraries when they ran out of words to express themselves. This was a good opportunity to bring art to frequent library goers and to bring artists and visitors to the library, serving our purpose of signifying the importance of books and libraries,” Farooq, the self-taught artist, told his guests.

Most artists were self taught or those who painted as their passion and thus most of the impressions were poor in execution. But what they lacked technically and in execution more than made up for it in the powerful messages they conveyed.

Some artists were outright blunt and critical of technological inventions robbing them of books. Others conveyed the same message in subtle undertones. An installation showed a pile of books covered in web while another painting showed light from an open book in the foreground against a darkened backdrop.

Imran Masood had painted books condemned to sell sidewalks. “It hurts to see vendors or small sellers sitting on the floor with sheets spread in front of them selling piles of books. When did we bring this about?” Masood is a chemical engineer and passionate about painting.

Similarly, Amna Siddiqui, who is a fine arts student, said she adored the concept of the exhibition which highlighted the importance of books and libraries more than digital gadgets in shaping personalities of individuals.

“I’m a book lover and feel that the younger generation should love books just like they love their mobile phones and computers,” she said.

Amna Shahid, a costume designer and a self-taught artist from Lahore, titled her work as “Mindscape” and through it she appreciated the power of books to draw readers and enable them to create thoughts.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2019