• Menu
  • Menu
  • Lifestyle
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription Print+Digital (Bundle)
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
Print+Digital (Bundle)
Trending
UAE holidays 2022 Golf in UAE Gratuity Calculator Mind Your Migraine
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
      • Sheikh Khalifa passes away
    • Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Ask the Law
    • Reader Complaint
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
    • Play
  • Play Games
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • Discounts
  • Magical Dubai
    • Dubai Life
    • Live the Luxury
    • Culture and History
    • Adventure
    • Staying Connected
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
      • Games
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
    • Special Reports
    • Games
    • Corrections
  • Special Reports
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • Off the Cuff
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Gujarat
        • Lucknow
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
    • Motorsport
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Rugby
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Eagle Eye
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Expo 2020
    • News
    • Photos
    • Pavilions
    • Visit the Expo
    • Experience the UAE
    • Entertainment
    • Videos
  • Going Out
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • Travel
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Mind Your Migraine
  • 50 MENA Leaders
  • The Kurator
    • Share
    • Dare
    • Flair
  • Bayat Chapters
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • Newsletters
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.
    Photos: Pakistani truck artist gives new flair to kicks

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Wednesday, May 18, 2022
    Gold / Forex

    Photos Lifestyle

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Photos: Pakistani truck artist gives new flair to kicks

    Since he started painting trainers, he has dispatched 8 pairs - to Pakistan and abroad


    Published:  March 16, 2022 08:29 AFP  and  Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor

    1 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    Karachi: Haider Ali dabs a brush with an iridescent glob of paint and gets to work on a pair of sparkling white trainers - his latest canvas for a carnival of colour celebrating Pakistani culture. Image Credit: AFP
    2 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    Pakistan's lorries are renowned for "truck art": candy-coloured murals depicting South Asian animals, celebrities and religious icons. The tradition transforms the highways and cities into kaleidoscopic processions. And now Ali - a veteran truck artist - has transposed the painting onto sneakers. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    "A client came to me from the US asking me to paint shoes," he explained. "I told him an exorbitant fee to discourage him but he agreed, so I decided to get on with it." He labours on each pair for up to four days, charging select clients $400 for a set featuring bespoke patterns and motifs. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    Since he started painting trainers in January, he has dispatched eight pairs - to places in Pakistan and abroad - with new orders arriving every four days after a surge of social media interest. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    "The ideas keep coming to me," the 42-year-old mused. "It's in human nature to decorate ourselves and the things around us." Cross-legged in his Karachi rooftop studio, he flips a pair of high-top Nikes to reveal the image of a luminous pink hawk and a gazing yellow eye, framed by hypnotic bulbous fringes. Another pair ready for shipping bears a shimmering peacock. Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    Some say the practice of adorning trucks began in the 1940s when hauliers crafted vibrant logos communicating their brand identity to a largely illiterate public. Others claim the artistic one-upmanship began with bus drivers competing to lure passengers. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    Today, the trade is one of Pakistan's most famous cultural exports, cutting against the country's more austere reputation for social conservatism. Ali comes from a family of truck artists, who eked out a living at the roadside yards where drivers eagerly surrender slim pay packets to decorate their vehicles. Strolling through the Yusuf Goth truck yard, his tinted glasses and slight swagger lend him an air of celebrity. Image Credit: AFP
    8 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    "I get in the zone when I feel a connection to the art," he said. "If I pause, the ideas stop flowing." He came to fame outside Pakistan when his work was exhibited at the US Smithsonian Museum in 2002, helping him hone a reputation as an international ambassador for truck art. Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    He has applied his craft to a plane, a VW Beetle, and even a woman's body at the Burning Man festival in the United States. Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 10
    PAKISTAN-ART-CULTURE-FASHION
    Ali's cottage industry offers numerous advantages. He is stowed away from the din of the roadside yards, and his fashion clients give him full creative freedom, unlike truck drivers who peer over his shoulder. But as with trucks, the decoration on shoes will not last forever. After three or four years, it will chafe, crack and fade - offering a fresh canvas for yet more artwork. Image Credit: AFP

    Trending

    • Pictures: Heavy sandstorm hits Gulf and Middle East

      Pictures: Heavy sandstorm hits Gulf and Middle East


    • Pictures: Dusty and hazy weather in Sharjah

      Pictures: Dusty and hazy weather in Sharjah

    Latest In

    • 5 best smart locks for your home in UAE, for 2022

      10 minutes ago

    • BBC’s ‘Dubai Hustle’ to showcase real estate brokers

      10 minutes ago

    • Big Ticket: Two friends win Dh500,000

      23 minutes ago

    • Museum of the Future, Binance to launch NFTs

      24 minutes ago

    • Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery opens in Dubai

      29 minutes ago

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Friday
    • Inside Out
    • Watch Time
    • getthat
    • Jobs
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2022. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or