Anthropologists are of the view that art is a creative capacity of humans and is culturally universal in all human cultures and societies. For the students of anthropology, art is a crucial form of cultural expression and communication and has existed in human societies since ancient times. Anthropologists point out that the early humans used to express and communicate life around them through art in caves and mountains. In this sense, art has a close affinity with human behavior, expressions, emotions, beliefs, and nature, and beauty. It may be said that our ancient ancestors, the early humans who lived in caves, laid the groundwork for the creation of art, expression, and communication. For instance, the ancient Ajanta cave wall paintings in India show a prime example of early human artistic expression. The pyramid architecture in ancient Egypt could be cited as another example of ancient or what may be anthropologically called the primitive humans’ creation of architecture to show pomp and power, and burial rituals of the Kings. Likewise, the art history in modern industrial Europe in the eighteenth century and afterward shows us the artworks of various artists especially the nature and landscape painters who have expressed their thoughts about the love for nature, forests, and wildlife.

This view of artists and expression of thoughts about nature underlies the sensitive role of art and artists in society and the way art creates imagination capability in culture and society. This imaginative sense of art further calls for the special role accorded to art and artists, especially in times of societal and economic chaos and crisis.

21 Posters were displayed showcasing the concept of humanitarian role of national and international artists in times of humanitarian crisis during 2022 flood disasters in Pakistan

Recently, we, the BS third-year anthropology students of University of Sindh, Jamshoro, the second oldest public sector university in Pakistan, curated a Poster Art exhibition titled ‘Artists in Times of Humanitarian Crisis’ as part of a creative, practical pedagogy under the course Anthropology of Art and Music taught by Dr. Rafique Wassan. In the exhibition event curated at the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, we brought together twenty-one posters that engaged with and showcased the concept of the humanitarian public role of artists, both national and international, in times of humanitarian crisis during the 2022 flood disasters in Pakistan. The idea of designing and curating the Poster Art exhibition to highlight the public humanitarian role of artists in times of 2022 flood disaster in Pakistan aimed to introduce and engage with the power of art and the creative artistic modes of pedagogy in the production of knowledge. This is important to mention here that in the anthropology of art and music course, we primarily learn about creative artistic methods such as audio-visuals, photography, paintings, music, drama, film, folklore and storytelling, art exhibitions and museums, and the way they can be harnessed to produce knowledge. In a way, the poster art exhibition became a creative, experimental learning method and activity for us students. It helped us develop the motivation to take initiative and experience a process of self-learning by taking up the role of the student as a teacher and leader because we were assigned to select and design a poster for presentation before the public. Let me share honestly that in the beginning, working on the idea of the poster art exhibition in an anthropology class looked somehow challenging but later on when we were involved in it, especially during the curation and presentation before visitors (mostly students of various departments) it looked empowering experience and brought moments of joy for me. As a student it was an empowering experience in the sense of it created feelings of self-reliance, confidence, and motivation. Most strikingly, it cultivated empowering and inclusive experience in the sense of we students were actively involved in the acts of producing knowledge.

Pakistan’s prominent female singer artist Hadiqa Kiani was seen on the forefront for support of flood affected people.

It seems pertinent here to discuss the content and material of the poster art exhibition and the way it engaged in the production of knowledge about the central idea of the public and socially engaged role of artists in times of humanitarian crisis i.e., the 2022 flood disaster in Pakistan. This is to mention that in the poster art exhibition, we worked with the online archival stories of national and international artists that got published in Pakistan’s leading English paper the Daily Dawn. We collected these archival stories and selected them for the design and display of the poster art exhibition. Let me also admit that before curating, we had no idea about the active public and socially engaged role of artists.

Before exhibition, we had superficial understanding that artists are isolated humans and don’t appear in the public role in society. When we started working with online archival story material for our poster art exhibition we came to know about the active presence and vibrant public role of artists through their contributions and donations for the victim families during devastating flood-induced displacement and crisis. For example, Pakistan’s prominent female singer artist Hadiqa Kiani was seen on the forefront for support of flood affected people. She initiated the Vassela humanitarian response campaign for the flood-affected families; developed the Vassela page on Instagram and appealed to followers to come forward in support of flood-affected people in Baluchistan province of Pakistan. Hadiqa Kiani started to post a list of essential things and items to help the flood affected people in Baluchistan. In our poster art exhibition, one student selected the online archival story of Hadiqa Kiani published in daily Dawn paper and attempted to showcase her active public role as a humanitarian artist in times of crisis. The poster art exhibition included the display of a story of Pakistani film star Mehwish Hayat in which she is seen to voice for the humanitarian support of flood victims beyond religious and national boundaries. In the story. Mehwish Hayat points towards the fellow artists and stars in neighboring India and calls for humanitarian action beyond national borders. Her statement reminded us that the humanitarian cause should not suffer the narrow national politics.

Students also selected Hollywood film star Angelina Julie and Palestinian American actress model Bella Hadid, and Turkish actor Celal for the posters.

Our poster art exhibition included international artists who actively appeared and raised voices for the humanitarian support of 2022 flood-affected families in Pakistan. In this regard, students of anthropology engaged in the poster art exhibition selected Hollywood film star Angelina Julie and Palestinian American actress and model Bella Hadid. In the poster, Angeline Jolie’s humanitarian public role and response were displayed based on her story that had appeared in the Daily Dawn during the 2022 floods. In the story, Angeline Jolie was seen in the flood-devastated areas of Johi Dadu area in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Likewise, one student chose a poster to display Bella Hadid and showcased her public voice for the support of the flood victims. Another poster showcased the humanitarian role of Turkish actor Celal of Ertugrul who arrived in person in Karachi for the relief assistance to flood-affected families. What is pertinent to mention is that all posters tried to bring together the public and socially engaged role of artists in times of humanitarian crisis.

In addition to international celebrity artists, the poster art exhibition selected and displayed posters about the humanitarian response efforts of the South Asian Visual Arts Network based in New York which had arranged a virtual flood relief art auction in New York. The sole aim of the art auction by the South Asian Visual Arts Network was to contribute donations for the support of flood-affected people of Pakistan. One student exhibited a poster about a virtual writing master workshop by Kamila Shamsie, a renowned fiction writer, which shows the socially engaged commitment of a fiction writer in support of flood-affected families. Another poster of the exhibition included the humanitarian response story of the Musk designer brand. It showcased that the Musk brand would donate 10 percent of proceeds of the September month to flood-affected families. In the same manner, one student’s poster in the exhibition brought to notice the humanitarian role and response of a female art dealer and her contribution to the flood relief fund.

Thus, in a way, the poster art exhibition that we anthropology students led by our course teacher Dr. Rafique Wassan jointly curated brought together multiple artists and their public role in times of humanitarian crisis. Our exhibition became a creative pedagogical tool to understand not only the power of art and artists in society but also helped us to engage with new ways of doing and producing knowledge beyond conventional classroom lectures and teaching methodology. It helped us and the visitors to the exhibition a new understanding that art and artists is intricately connected with society and artists play an active public role for the common good of humanity and society. The collective and creative pedagogical method of poster art exhibition proved immensely engaging in the anthropological production of knowledge about the socially engaged and public role of art and artists in times of humanitarian crisis.

In times of humanitarian crisis, wars, and conflicts all over the world, art and artists are increasingly making their presence felt by raising voices for humanity. I understand that in the current times of crisis across the world, the progressive role of art and artists needs to be cultivated and expanded for the greater good of humanity beyond national borders. In this regard, anthropologists as students of humanities and social sciences need to pay increasing attention in their engagements with the socially engaged, public role and responsibility of art in society. Anthropology of art could be an effective and meaningful pedagogical tool to engage with creative and critical knowledge production. The use of creative teaching and learning methods such as the theme-based poster art exhibition introduced by our course teacher Dr. Rafique Wassan provides ample opportunity for the development of effective and meaningful education and learning.

Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"