Lets meet Muhammad Ijaz Ullah Mughal a skilled truck art maker.
Truck art was originally an art used in Pakistan to decorate the goods transportation vehicles including trucks and long vehicles. Its origin can be traced back to the 1920s when Bedford trucks imported from the UK were decorated beautifully and took to the streets in Pakistan. While this art form is popular in many South Asian countries, Pakistani trucks featuring elaborate floral patterns and calligraphy, are the most popular.
While initially only trucks were decorated, nowadays, the truck art is popularly used in decorating garden and lounge furniture, trays, utensils, decorative items and much more.
Owners of some vintage vehicles and proud owners of trucks and long vehicles, get their trucks and cars customized and decorated with truck art. This external decoration can cost thousands of dollars. It is believed that the decoration often contains elements that remind the truck drivers of home, since they may be away from home for months at a time. They believe that this art is a mode of expression for the truck drivers.
Truck art includes at times structural changes but is mostly paintings, calligraphy and ornamental-decor like mirror work on the front, back and sides of vehicles and wooden carvings on the truck doors. Depictions of various historical scenes and poetic verses are also common. Other decorations are chains and pendants that often dangle off the front bumper and at times at the back of the truck.
Karachi is a major centre for this type of art, though there are other hubs in Rawalpindi, Swat, Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore. Trucks from Balochistan and Peshawar are often heavily trimmed with wood, while trucks from Rawalpindi and Islamabad often feature plastic work. Camel bone ornamentation and predominance of vivid reds and oranges is commonly seen on trucks decorated in Sindh.
The lively colours of Pakistani trucks have inspired some fashion designers. The Italian fashion company Dolce & Gabbana used truck art inspired displays in a 2015 campaign. Although used more often on women’s fashion, some men’s clothing have been inspired by this art too
