KARACHI – A proud moment for Pakistan as our world-famous truck art will move from its highways to the skies as a flying academy is painting a two-seater Cessna aircraft with the colourful technique.
The flamboyant truck decoration with intricate floral patterns has inspired gallery exhibitions abroad and prompted stores in Western cities to sell miniatures.
Imran Aslam Khan, chief operating officer of Sky Wings, a flight training organisation, told Reuters: “We want to show the world that Pakistan is not all about Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and terrorism issues; it a very diverse country and a land of opportunities.”
Pakistani truck art is reaching new heights. Haider Ali & his team have done a spectacular job on this @Cessna 152 at Karachi Sky Wings flight school. This is now the greatest piece of flying art in the world. Hand painted. Made of Pakistan. One day I will have a plane like that. pic.twitter.com/2oSmLaHQcC
— Fakhr-e-Alam S.I & S.E (@falamb3) January 2, 2021
Becoming Pakistan’s best-known cultural exports in recent years, UNESCO has been using truck art, blended with indigenous themes, to promote girls’ education in a northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“The world is familiar with our truck art representation; now, with this aircraft, our colours will fly in the air. We are really excited,” said Haider Ali, the artist painting the aircraft.
The 40-year-old has been decorating trucks since his childhood. Hoping to paint an Airbus or Boeing aircraft Ali is confident that such working exposure would be a great learning experience.
