Islamabad: In Islamabad’s diplomatic circles, Rabia Zakir has come to be known as the artist who painted a portrait of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier this year but the 27-year-old’s fascination and connection to the Arab world run much deeper. Zakir has painted portraits of members of royal families across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Her portraits and landscapes hang in 50 embassies in Pakistan, most prominently of Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.
Pakistani artist Rabia Zakir seen at her art studio painting a portrait of Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa on August 19, 2019. Portraits of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki hang in the background. (AN photo by S Jamal)
Zakir says though Pakistan and the Arab world are connected by faith and cultural similarities, the barriers of language and a paucity of people-to-people exchanges have made cultural collaborations difficult. Thus, she uses her art as a “diplomatic tool” to overcome language and cultural hurdles and forge a bridge to the Islamic world.
“My paintings all over the world and in foreign embassies are fostering a cultural interaction between Pakistan and the Arab world,” Zakir told Arab News in an interview at her studio. “It was after my painting of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that people started recognizing me. It feels amazing that my work is being appreciated not only in Pakistan but also by our closest friends in Saudi Arabia.”
In this undated photo, Pakistani artist Rabia Zakir stands by a portrait of King Salman of Saudi Arabia. (Photo Courtesy to Rabia)
The first Islamic country to appear in her work was Tunisia, said Zakir who held her first art exhibition on the Arab world on the occasion of the National Day of Tunisia on March 20, 2016. That same year, she was commissioned by the Saudi embassy to make a portrait of King Salman. In January this year, Zakir was asked to paint a portrait of the Saudi crown prince, which she presented to Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki during the visit of the crown prince to Islamabad in February.
Pakistani artist Rabia Zakir presents a portrait to Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki in 2019. (Photo Courtesy to Rabia)
Zakir has also drawn portraits of the Governor of Makkah Prince Khalid, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Her portrait of the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, bagged her the “Year of Zayed” award in 2018. When the embassy of Palestine in Islamabad was renovated in 2017, it was Zakir’s powerful and spirited work that was selected to decorate the walls.
A photograph of a portrait of the governor of Makkah Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, painted by Pakistani artist Rabia Zakir. (Photo Courtesy to Rabia)
While the Rawalpindi-based artist’s collection includes portraits of several presidents, including of Turkey, China, Malaysia and the UAE, her most prized works, she says, are portraits of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
“I wish to personally present the portraits of PM Imran Khan and General Qamar Bajwa to them,” Zakir said, standing before the portraits.
Pakistani artist Rabia Zakir looks at her own portraits of UAE leaders including founding father of UAE Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE President Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE PM Rashid Al Maktoum and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince. (Photo Courtesy to Rabia)
