Opening Ceremony of the Exhibition of the Work of Syed Sadequain Ahmad Naqvi ​

Opening Remarks
of Ambassador Muhammad Hassan, President, ECO Cultural Institute
at the Opening Ceremony of the Exhibition of the Work of Syed Sadequain Ahmad Naqvi

Ambassadors,
Excellencies,
Dear friends and Art lovers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you this morning to this exhibition of the work of Syed Sadequain Ahmad Naqvi, one of Pakistan’s most important and original artists.

Sadequain is a world famous artist - a painter, a calligrapher and a poet. By painting more than 15,000 master pieces, he has earned the name of “Picaso of Pakistan”.

But that is not the reason to hold this exhibition. For us at the ECO Cultural Institute, the reason to present Sadequain here in Tehran is because, his work takes us into a cultural world that Pakistan shares with Iran, Turkiye and the countries of Central Asia — a world shaped by poetry, literature, calligraphy and centuries of artistic exchange.

I will not speak who Sadequain is. That will be covered by the distinguished speakers, speaking after me. I would rather discuss his style of painting.

When you stand before a Sadequain’s art, there is something you notice almost immediately: the line (خط(خط

His خطis never still. It has energy. It stretches, bends, twists and moves across the surface. Sometimes it almost seems to be struggling to break free from the canvas.

The same is true of his figures. They are often elongated, exaggerated and, at times, almost skeletal.

But Sadequain was not interested in anatomical accuracy. He was interested in the human condition — in suffering and struggle, loneliness and faith, but also in the dignity that remains despite all of these. Cactus.

And then we come to his calligraphy.

Perhaps this is where Sadequain became most unmistakably "himself".

In his calligraphy, the nuqtaنقطہ, the harfحرف, the alif الفand the kashida کشیدہare not simply parts of a script. They become part of the painting itself.

 He stretched letters, enlarged them, repeated them and allowed them to move across the canvas. Sometimes the writing is perfectly readable; at other times, the letters move towards abstraction.

This is what we have come to know as “Khatt-e-Sadequain”.

And here, standing in Tehran, I feel there is a very natural connection with Iran. صادقین stands in the line of great masters of Persian calligraphers and calligraphic painters such as Reza Mafi, Charles-Hossein Zenderoudi and Faramarz Pilaram.

But there are difference among them;

Mafiمافی  stayed close to the grace and flowing movement of Nastaliq and Shekasteh, but treated the letters as elements of painting.

Pilaram، on the other hand ،took the letter further into rhythm, repetition, geometry and abstraction. Zenderoudi, too, drew deeply on letters and traditional signs, transforming them into a new visual language.

Sadequain followed his own path. His line is heavier, more forceful, more dramatic. There is something almost physical about it. The letter seems to move across the surface with its own energy.

Perhaps one can put it simply: “where a Persian calligrapher might make the kashida sing, Sadequain sometimes makes the line almost cry out”.

In central Asia, we can compare him with Kamoliddin Behzad. The Legacy of Behzad remains part of the story of miniature painting. In Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, the traditions of manuscript art, miniature and calligraphy remain an important part of their cultural inheritance.

The styles are different. The histories are different. But there is a connection.

Sadequain seems to have influenced by these great artists. But, like every great artist, he did not simply inherit a tradition.

He made it his own.

He took what he received from the past and gave it a new language.

And perhaps that is why his work still speaks to us.

While viewing the exhibition, which we will open right after this ceremony, I hope we can look at Sadequain not only as a great Pakistani artist, but also as an artist whose work reminds us of the deep cultural connections between South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia.

Let me conclude by welcoming you all, once again, with great pleasure, to this exhibition. I am confident that you will see a unique exhibition today.

Thank you for your patience.