Portraits of Cultural Harmony

Pakistani artist Jimmy Engineer believes that his paintings serve as a cultural bridge. Viewers can now judge that for themselves as dozens of his paintings depicting Pakistan’s art, culture and politic are on display in an exhibition that opens tonight at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
The touring exhibition “Culture Harmony between the People of Pakistan and Thailand” is being brought to Bangkok by the Embassy of Pakistan and aims to promote the long-term relationship between the two countries.
Born in a Parsi family 58 years ago in Loralai, Baluchistan, a remote town of Pakistan, Engineer grew up in Lahore. After completing his studies at St Anthony’s High School, he spent a brief interlude at Forman Christian College before finally enrolling at the National College of Arts, the oldest art institute in Lahore. He quit after three years and decided to go his own way.
Engineer does not focus on one particular painting style. He creates cultural, historical and religious paintings, landscapes, seascapes, still life, architecture, abstracts and self-portraits. His works are in private collections in Europe, the US and Asia including Thailand.
One of his important political canvasses on the 1947 holocaust depicts in graphic detail the suffering, bloodshed and sacrifices that ushered in the birth of Pakistan. As an activist, he has arranged more than 140 awareness programmes for handicapped, blind and orphan children around the globe. His humanitarian efforts earned him the National Endowment of Arts Award in 1988 in the US and the Sitara-I-Imtiaz (Civil Award) from the Government of Pakistan in 2005.
  MEET JIMMY
- Engineer will be on hand to chat at the opening party tonight, which starts at 6. The show runs until July 7 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. For more information visit www.JimmyEngineer.com.