Photo Essay
Trucks are a canvas for art in Pakistan
In Pakistan, truckers spend more money decorating their trucks than their homes.
From camels and ice cream carts to tractors and rickshaws, decorating is a deep part of Pakistan’s culture. But it’s the country’s trucks that provide the largest and most spectacular canvas to showcase Pakistan’s passion for artistic expression.
When a vehicle arrives at a workshop for outfitting, it is often little more than a rusty cab chassis. A dedicated team of craftsmen will begin painstakingly transforming the wreckage into an extravagant work of art. The labour-intensive process will take six to ten weeks.
Every single inch of a truck is designed and decorated to showcase a variety of regional art forms. Wood is carved into intricate pattens and fixed to the front cabin. Vinyl stickers are stuck to embossed metal sheets and applied all over the vehicle. Traditional folk art painting, weaving, calligraphy and poetry also adorn each truck.
“We have an irresistible tendency to decorate everything—from lowly tape cassette players to brides to trucks—because we’re such dreamers and escapists. It’s all part of our need to intensify experience”.
Durriya Kazi, Head of Department of Visual Studies, University of Karachi.
Pakistan has transformed its streets into a public art gallery where every citizen - regardless of class, race or religion - can enjoy the colour and craft that is such a deep part of the nation’s culture.