KARACHI: The Zindagi Trust Art Exhibition, featuring original student artwork, live mural painting and interactive experiences at their adopted schools, the Khatoon-i-Pakistan Government Girls School (Feb 6 to 7) and SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School (Feb 13 to 14), was a great chance to see and appreciate the work of the artists of tomorrow.

This year’s art exhibition is special since it displays five years’ art work of the students of both the adopted schools. Anum Shakil, Head of Zindagi Trust’s Art Programme, told Dawn that they had started their art programme in 2015. “And we had been holding art exhibitions in our schools annually until the Covid-19 pandemic happened,” she said. “So this year we exhibited the past five years’ art work of our children, many of them have already left school and are in college or university now,” she added.

The Art Head also informed that Zindagi Trust has made significant strides in art education in the last two years as they have also come up with a proper art curriculum, which is there on the website of the National Curriculum Council.

At the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School, on the last day of the exhibition, one felt completely surrounded by expressions of art. There was art hanging from the ceilings, on the walls, on the floor and in the playground. And there was no shortage of helpful students explaining the art displays to the visitors.

Zindagi Trust art exhibition features five years of original artwork of students

Ayesha Shahzad of class eight explained the thinking of students of class one who had painted sets of four kites, stars, trees, apples, ice cream, etc, each. “They are thinking of quantity and equality,” she said.

Nearby there were other exhibits hanging from the ceilings which had the art work of other classes such as shadow art work by class seven, three diamentional art by class two and so on. You noticed wooden stools which had also been printed. One wondered if the colour on the stools may stick to your clothes if one sat on them and the children laughed. “The paint has dried by now so it is safe to sit on the stools,” said one of them.

On a table one saw several models depicting different stories. Arida Iqbal, another senior student of the school, explained about each and every one of them. “This model shows the artist’s depiction of how agriculture fields may become after war and that one is a broken heart that has been mended,” she said painting to a bandaged heart.

Hadia Ali, another student, pointed to a big sculpture of picture tube television sets. Nearby was a latest LED too but it was displaying digital art.

On the floor there was a heap of sensory facial features such as nose, ears and eyes made from clay. Somewhere up there Pablo Picasso must be smiling to see dishes inspired by his art also heaped against a pillar. Three white paper figures hung in a row, one bigger than the other showing the life cycle of human beings.

One was pleasantly surprised to meet three students all named Esha (Esha Nalaim Fatima, Esha Mohammed Kashif and Esha Mohammed Ishaq) and all from class seven, educating about the 97-year-old Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, who is fond of drawing polka dots.

Outside in the school grounds, there were stalls selling artwork such as paintings, sculptures, decoration pieces, wall hangings, keychains, handmade, artificial jewellery, etc.

The final day of the exhibition was also graced by the President and Founder of Zindagi Trust Shehzad Roy. Asked if he liked to draw as a kid, the famous singer and songwriter smiled and shrugged. “I carry a lot of respect for all artists as my drawing is very bad. I can draw a circle or square maybe, if asked to draw, but not much more beyond that,” he shared sheepishly.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2026