The Red Bull Canvas Cooler exhibition (#CanvasCoolerPK) took the local art scene by storm for the first time as 12 of the most innovative artists in Pakistan came together to showcase their creativity, imagination and ingenuity under one roof. The exhibition organised by Zain Naqvi, displayed the artwork, each with a distinct concept and interpretation at Lahore’s Riots Studio.
The art scene in the country has always been kept low as the artists don’t always get the exposure they should be getting. There are many artists in Pakistan who are not provided with the right platform to showcase their creativity.
“Art is all about having fun,” said painter and sculptor Osama Khan who was displaying his piece of work at the Red Bull Canvas Cooler exhibition. The idea behind the exhibition is to showcase Red Bull coolers reworked into pieces of art by the artists.
Among the 12 artists, Jibran Shahid, Ayesha Sohail, Samya Arif, Babrus Khan, Raza Bukhari, Sanki King, Osama Khan, Sadqain, Shumyle Haider, Hassan Shah Gilani and S.M Raza showcased their work on the Red Bull coolers.
Pakistan Today spent some time with these artists to know more about their artwork and their inspiration behind it.
“My artwork was inspired by the three stages of life,” said Ayesha Sohail.
“It depicts the struggles of the city life, the calm and the cool. It also depicts the marine life along with everything floral,” she added.
Another Illustrator, Samya Arif who considers herself as a feminist says that her cooler artwork is all about women empowerment and digital illustrations. “Women should get a chance to explore themselves, which is exactly what I tried to show with my art,” she said.
Osama Khan while talking to Pakistan Today explained the deep meaning behind his airbrushed piece.
“What I first want everybody to understand that, living in this world means that’s everybody is fighting their own war, one day at a time,” said Osama.
“This piece may not make sense to many, but this has a deeper and personal meaning to me,” he said.
For a boy who has grown up listening to stories about his grandfather hunting animals has been making airbrushed pieces since he was 13. Not only that, he has been sculpting for a very long time.
“Another inspiration behind this piece are all these childhood stories and that I consider myself as a ‘wild’ person and so it shows,” he said.
“I am glad Red Bull provided this opportunity to us (artists) and it is great to see so many people coming to support the artist community,” Osama further added.
The art scene in Pakistan needs greater exposure to different genres of art and this project has played its part in bringing a new direction to the art scene by uniting these artists.
“People here don’t know much about the art community unless you are in the community only then you will know how big it is,” he said.
Aimed at pushing the art boundaries, the exhibition was attended by a huge crowd from the entertainment industry. From music to films everyone was present to encourage these creative minds.
While talking about the artists’ artwork, Ali Hamza from Noori said, “The artists have done some amazing artwork.”
While other notable personalities like Shiraz Uppal. Bilal Khan, Ali Noor, Farhad Humayun, Umair Jaswal appreciated the platform provided by Red Bull adding that more events of such nature should be hosted in the country.
