Karachi Art Festival 2022 concludes

A grand event organised by the culture department of Sindh took place at the Sambara Art Gallery. The show was well-curated by an eminent artist and art activist Abdul Jabbar Gull. The purpose of this festival was to honour the late renowned names like Jamil Naqsh and Rabia Zuberi, as well as to shed a light on Sindh-born artists.

“The primary aim of the event was to bring artists on one platform,” Abdul Jabbar Gull shared in an interview. “The culture department and its Director General, Aleem Lashari, took the initiative. The reaction was enormous and overwhelming throughout the planning stage and it has now evolved into a sort of international show.”

“Big names from all over the world took part in it with the common thread that they’re all born in Sindh. Then there were a couple of renowned artists  that we’ve paid homage to, Jamil Naqsh and Rabia Zuberi who were born before partition,” Gull stated.

He revealed the number of creative people that took part in the festival, saying, “Collectively there were 130 seasoned and young artists. The artworks displayed at the art fest were roughly 150 in numbers.”

“The second edition of the Art Fest continued for four days — from May 19 to May 22,” stated DG-Culture Aleem Lashari.

He stated that the cultural department has always attempted to provide a platform for emerging . He further said that there is no percentage or commission that the cultural department or the gallery is keeping from the artworks which will be sold. If any painting gets sold, the artist receives 100% of the proceeds.”

The display of the paintings were categorised; the names of icons who were being given honour and homage came first. Second came the names of well-known and prominent artists who had been asked to participate in this event. Last but not the least, there were young artists who were given an open call to present their art work through the platform and after having a overwhelming response the jury selected 65 artists out of 100’s who applied for the exhibition.

Attendees highly appreciated the efforts of the curator, cultural department of Sindh and artists who have managed to put such a grand event for the public to educate them on the arts and paying tribute to Jamil Naqsh, who has been known as the pioneer of cubism in Pakistan, and Rabia Zuberi whose name was long associated with the Karachi School of Arts.

Apart from the display of artwork and sculptures, the event programme included panel discussion on topics such as mentoring youngsters and the future of art. There was a ‘My Journey’ panel discussion with renowned Noorjehan Bilgrami discussing her life stories and experiences while having a one-on-one conversation with Nurayah Sheikh-Nabi.

The other session called ‘Art Today’ moderated by Sibtain Naqvi. The discussion centred on Pakistan’s artistic revolution. The panel included three well-known art industry figures: Sameera Raja, Pakistan’s leading gallerist and owner of Canvas Gallery, Jamal Shah, a prominent art critic and artist, and Quddus Mirza, an art critic, artist, and Lahore-based art educator.

The third session, titled ‘Curating a Show,’ focused on how to become a curator and what the working relationship of a curator and an artist requires. The session featured three well-known Pakistani curators from various genres: Muhammad Zeeshan, Waheeda Baloch, and Irfan Gul. Kashif Shahzed moderated the event.

The fourth panel was titled ‘Mentoring Prospect Artists,’ and it featured artists discussing how they found mentors and how it affected their life and art. Akbar Ali, Syeda Sheeza Ali, Sana Nezam, and Abdul Malik Channa make up the panel.

The event’s primary target audience was young artists, art students, and general public who might be interested in pursuing art as a vocation.

The other motive of the art fest was to spread awareness about public art to the general public and to present art as a progressive platform.

On Sunday evening, the art festival came to an end. Certificates and awards were given to the artists. AUJ – the band also performed live at the closing ceremony.

The art festival was a much needed break from regular gallery shows and exhibitions. Karachi reactivates and rejuvenates itself after every art show like Karachi Biennale and Art Festival where no passes are required to enter and the general public is strongly encouraged to attend.