Sadequain’s work brings a message of freedom, justice and resilience to Dubai

Sadequain’s work still has the quality to stir its audience more than three decades after the famous Pakistani artist’s death.

Like many others, Dubai-based Pakistani business owner Fahad Ali’s first introduction to his work was through his calligraphy at a state-owned building. In his lifetime, Sadequain painted several murals at government-owned properties, such as the State Bank of Pakistan and the ceiling of Frere Hall in Karachi, Mangla Dam near Mangla City, Punjab, University of the Punjab and Lahore Museum in Lahore.

The brief initial introduction to Sadequain’s work, Ali said, wasn’t enough and left him wanting more. The exhibition, held at Noor Royal Gallery, Dubai, from August 26–31, was a chance to re-acquaint himself with Sadequain’s work. The gallery had borrowed more than 30 pieces from personal collections.

Works of Pakistani artists, including Sadequain, set to feature at Art Dubai 2024

On Instagram, the exhibition was described as “an exclusive selection from the private collection of Master Sadequain, a legendary figure of Pakistani modern art.”

“This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the visionary world of this pioneering artist—who fused Islamic calligraphy with modern expression to create a unique artistic language.”

“Witness iconic paintings and monumental murals; the transformation of calligraphy from tradition to modern expressiveness; profound symbols including the “cactus” as a sign of resilience,” it added.

The Noor Royal Gallery exhibition, titled The Holy Sinner, the name of the biggest catalogue of his works produced for a retrospective of displayed at Mohatta Palace Musuem, gave Ali the chance to immerse himself in a variety of the award-winning artist’s works.

“You look at his calligraphy and it’s very different,” added Ali. “It’s very graphical. When you usually look at calligraphy, you’re looking for a certain type of script, like Kufi or Salis, but in his case, it’s very vibrant and I haven’t seen that at all.”

It wasn’t just the calligraphy that surprised him. Sadequain’s other pieces were equally awe-inspiring for Ali.

“They tell a story about what he was thinking in those times,” he noted. “I don’t know much about his life, but his work tells me that the artist had his own perception of how the common man was being treated. It’s pretty much a reflection of how things were at that point in his head.

“His work seems like the common man is stifled, is bound, he’s been tortured or been kept away from something as basic as food and water or even just freedom of movement,” concluded Ali.

Sadequain’s work was a first for his Excellency, Denny Lesmana, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia.

“Frankly speaking, I did not know the name of Sadequain before,” he said, talking to Business Recorder on the last day of the exhibition, “but after looking at his paintings here, maybe I will check on Google about him.”

“I think his paintings symbolize something — I feel the desperation of some of the subjects in the paintings, so I have to look it up because there’s something hidden in there,” added Lesmana.

Sadequain’s work, which reflects themes of freedom, justice, and resilience, has a strong significance, considering worldwide politics, said Ahmed Ech-Chafiy, the gallery’s International VIP & Artist Relations Coordinator.

“He exhibited in America and all over Europe, so it is an honour to have this collection here in Dubai,” he added.

The exhibition, said Muhammad Ali, the gallery’s public relations head, is a way to revive not only Sadequain’s work but also Pakistani culture and artists.

Little is known about the early life of the artist sometimes known as Sadequain Naqqash. Born in Amroha as Syed Ahmed Sadequain Naqvi (1930–1987), he moved to Delhi in 1944, where he took up calligraphy, a skill highly respected in his family. Sadequain worked in Delhi as a calligrapher-copyist for All India Radio until 1946 before graduating from the University of Agra in 1948 after which he moved to the newly born Pakistan.

In the late 1940s, Sadequain joined the Progressive Writers’ and Artists Movement. His later interactions lead him to Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Bengali barrister, who brought the calligrapher into the limelight.

Sadequain’s early works featured large spikey bushes of cacti, a geographical feature he first saw on a visit to Gadani. These fauna remained a common theme and metaphor in most of his work throughout his life.

Sadequain won the Pakistan National prize for Painting in 1960, and left for Paris later that year, at the invitation of the French Committee of the International Association of Plastic Arts.

Sadequain returned to Pakistan in 1967, leading into the most prolific part of his career. He not only produced thousands of paintings, etchings, drawings, and calligraphy pieces but also large volumes of poetry. During his life, Sadequain received a number of awards, among them Laureate of the Biennale de Paris.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025