Ahmed Rabbani, a 53-year-old Pakistani who spent 20 years in detention at Guantanamo Bay, found solace in painting during his incarceration, where he used whatever he could find, such as dirt, coffee grinds, and spices from the prison canteen, to express himself through art.
Despite having limited access to materials, painting allowed him to escape the confines of Guantanamo and feel as though he was somewhere else.
“Through painting, I would feel myself outside Guantanamo,” the 53-year-old Pakistani said this week at an exhibition of his work, held in Karachi.
Rabbani was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, but moved back to Karachi as a teenager and worked as a taxi driver before his detainment. He spoke Arabic fluently and specialized in guiding visitors from the Middle East, which contributed to his misidentification. While on hunger strikes, Rabbani was often too frail to hold a brush, but he would improvise, sometimes using pieces of discarded clothing as his canvas.
Around two dozen pieces of Rabbani’s artwork that he was allowed to take from prison were displayed at the exhibition in Karachi, called “The Unforgotten Moon: Liberating Art from Guantanamo Bay.”
The exhibition also included works by local artists who reimagined paintings that were confiscated. The exhibition’s curator and organizer, Natasha Malik, praised Rabbani’s artwork, saying” “He is someone who has lost so much of his life, so to produce images of this quality is a miracle… it’s remarkable.”
Rabbani, who wore a traditional shalwar kameez and waistcoat and sported a salt-and-pepper beard, was the center of attention at the exhibition opening.
#WATCH: From confinement to canvas: former Pakistani Guantanamo detainee Ahmed Rabbani's painting are being exhibited in Karachi, depicting the pain of over 20 years spent in prison, without a trial.
— Arab News Pakistan (@arabnewspk) May 5, 2023
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Future Plans
Rabbani has grand plans for the future, including publishing a cookbook that will contain his memoirs and opening a restaurant based on the recipes he learned while in prison. He hopes to use funds raised from sales of his art to support these endeavors.
Rabbani asks US military to return his artwork
Rabbani, who was released from Guantanamo in February this year, has called on the US to give him back a number of artworks he painted during his time in detention. The paintings were confiscated by the US military on the grounds that they were “a threat to national security”.
Rabbani’s Artwork
Ahmed Rabbani’s artwork depicts his hopes and despair, and it is surprisingly accomplished for someone who had only a smattering of art education. Some of his pieces express his longing for freedom, while others depict nature, birds, and oceans. One painting features a cage containing bright orange fish, which represents the color of the overalls that Guantanamo prisoners were forced to wear.
The Unforgotten Moon: Liberating Art from Guantanamo Bay is now open at IVS Karachi. It features the work of Ahmed Rabbani, held without charge or trial for 21 years. Some of Pakistan’s most talented artists have created work inspired by Rabbani’s. pic.twitter.com/xvodv5d68y
— fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) May 3, 2023