Art and Pandemic Relief
Duck Memory. Rabia Akhtar
Within Duck Memory, Rabia cross examines processes of transformation, and the transcended narratives that occur when the human and non-human animal form metamorphose.
Witnessing the unfolding anxieties and tragedies around her, where thousands of families were left without a stable source of income, Rabia participated in the fundraiser, with hope that her work would assist generate more donations for those affected.
A Karachi based visual artist, Rabia received her BFA from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2015, majoring in traditional miniature painting. Within her practice, Rabia cross-examines the psychic, nostalgic conditions around human-animal relationships. Bizarre universes are constructed, where zoomorphic beings and otherworldly beasts negotiate within an uneasy, symbolic coexistence.
Guest post by Naeha Rashid, Seyhr Qayum, Zuneera Shah
On May 1, 2020, Prints for Pandemic Relief: Pakistan went live. Our ideology is simple: art as aid. Not only is art a source of comfort in this moment of global uncertainty, with many of us struggling to see beyond the current crisis, but it can also be mobilized to support our most vulnerable.
Prints for Pandemic Relief is a web-based, print sale fundraiser that leverages the power of art to raise COVID-19 relief funding for some of Pakistan's most underrepresented communities and geographies. It does this while simultaneously shining a light on the incredible and much needed healing power of the creative arts during this troubling moment. Over 60 of Pakistan’s brightest contemporary visual artists from across the globe have generously donated pieces. We have highlighted a range of works - from photography to digital art to paintings - with diverse styles and artistic content.
Prints of these works are available for sale at a nominal international price of $65 for the duration of our fundraiser from May 1 - May 22, 2020.
“Our ideology is simple: art as aid. Not only is art a source of comfort in this moment of global uncertainty, with many of us struggling to see beyond the current crisis, but it can also be mobilized to support our most vulnerable. ”
Moongazer. Khadijah Rehman
Moongazer is the portrait of a woman who worked as a custodian at a school where the artist taught, and the woman’s painstaking efforts to pick and preserve wilting flowers led to this painting.
Khadijah Rehman is a Lahore based visual artist who graduated from the National College of Arts with a BFA in painting. She works in both traditional and digital mediums and her work delves into the otherworldly quality of night-time introspections, particularly the ephemeral instances where humans interact with nature in moments of wistful solitude.
Khadijah sees this fundraiser as a wonderful opportunity to share her art to do what little she can to help the country in these harrowing times.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH GRASSROOTS INITIATIVES
The majority of us are not healthcare professionals or aid workers; for us, the simplest and most effective way to fight COVID-19 is to donate money to the people at the frontlines of the relief effort. However, too often, the most vulnerable members of our society who are hardest hit by the economic and health repercussions of this global pandemic, continue to fall through the cracks.
In light of this, our primary goal has been to bolster efforts in areas where aid traditionally does not go—we have partnered with six grassroots initiatives that are embedded in their target communities. From Balochistan to Gilgit-Baltistan, and from daily wage earners to religious minorities, our partners represent different vulnerable geographies and communities. One of our partners, Karachi Bachao Tehreek, is providing rent relief to daily wage earners while sending protective gears to ill-resourced hospitals in rural Sindh. Another partner, Slumabad, is working specifically for the disenfranchised Pakhiwas/gypsy community - many of whom are also daily wage earners - to protect them from food insecurity in this difficult time. 100% of gross profits from our fundraiser will be distributed to our partners and will contribute to food and health relief.
Karachiscape. Sophia Balagamwala
Karachiscape is a digital illustration of a busy street scene in Saddar in Karachi, prior to COVID-19.
Sophia Balagamwala is a multidisciplinary artist based in Karachi, Pakistan. Her practice explores the space where history meets fiction and nonsense, focusing on the myths of national heroes and national histories. Her work verges on satire taking from current politics, history and children’s books. She also likes to make everyday drawings of people and places in Karachi.
Sophia is grateful that her work can be used to raise funds for those in vulnerable positions who are most affected by the pandemic.
ABOUT US
We are proud to share that we are an all-women team. We are: Naeha Rashid, a research fellow at Harvard University, Seyhr Qayum, a multidisciplinary artist pursuing an MFA in Fine Art at Pratt, and Zuneera Shah a gender and development consultant at CGAP. Additionally, the majority of our contributors are also women. To give you a sense of what we have on offer, we have shared excerpts from three of our incredibly talented female artists about their work. We hope their contributions will move you to join us in solidarity.