Artists’ work: Visual potpourri
During these post-spring sweltering months, art activity in the city, like everything else, tends to decelerate to a snail’s pace. While most galleries resort to showing random exhibits of residual artefacts from previous exhibitions, the Koel Gallery, Karachi, has put together carefully assorted

Foreign palette: Challenges of negotiating space
The Biennale of Sydney, one of the largest contemporary visual art events in Australia, opened its 18th edition from June-September 2012. Titled, ‘All our relations’, it has artists from all around the globe projecting the Biennale themes of migration, contamination, corruption and coercion at different

Young at art: Uncharted territories
Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore, established its fine arts department in the year 2001. Initially offering only intermediate art classes, since 2003 it has expanded and progressed, offering a four-year bachelors degree.

Exhibition: Documenting self
The growing presence of Pakistani art in international art fairs scored another high with the participation of Bani Abidi and Khadim Ali in dOCUMENTA (13).

Art affair: For the sake of arts
To elevate art appreciation audiences need to step beyond passive viewership. In Farhad Aspy Fatakia we have an example of a young art aficionado who is walking the extra mile to make a difference

Art in the park
When the Foundation of Museum of Modern Art (Fomma) was revived and reactivated in 2002 the institution’s aim was, according to director Jalauddin Ahmed, to look around the ‘happening’ art scene, and also to look back a little, at the art that had already happened’. This intention was faithfully translated over the years

Artist’s work: Eye for the ordinary
Conserving the aesthetics of art based on mundane subjects chosen from the trivialities of daily life can be a daunting task which requires intelligent handling. This genre of work can become an arduous task, particularly tackling its physical nuances, but for the motivated artist, the sheer pleasure of plunging into the

Artist’s perspective: Meditative space
For many people the tile patterns of Islamic geometry are a lost tradition. In Islamic art this ‘sacred geometry’ was considered as the unifying intermediary between the material and the spiritual world with artists willingly subordinating their individuality to the impersonal beauty of the work.

Vision of two art patriarchs
The recent informal launch of digitised art archives by Foundation of Museum of Modern Art (Fomma) links the dreams of two art visionaries of Pakistan, Ali Imam and Jalaluddin Ahmed.

Exhibition: Biographical musings
‘Tuckh-tea, Tuckhta, Tuckkht’ was the title of Iqbal Geoffrey’s recent solo show at Lahore’s National College of Art’s Zahoor ul Akhlaq Gallery.

Art fiend: Generation next
Radical young graduates who challenged the norms and redefined art expressions in the late 1990s are established mid-career artists these days. They continue to innovate but the excitement of the unexpected and the unusual in their work, has begun to wane — the raw, edgy vigour of their art has given way

Homage: Tribute to a teacher
Zubeda Javed, an eminent artist and former professor of fine arts at the University of the Punjab, where she had also once been a student, was recently honoured by her alma mater at a special function organised to pay tribute to her contribution as an artist and art educationist

Art beat: Alchemic revelation
To reveal her vivid perception of ultimate enlightenment, London-based artist Faiza Sheikh has returned with a thought-provoking repertoire of 20 artworks titled, ‘Alchemy’ at the Canvas Art Gallery, Karachi. Pleasurable to view, the paintings ooze lively spirit through fresh hues, thoughtful compositions, intrepid graphic

Foreign palette: The art fair age
As newer art fairs crowd the spring calendar one wonders when galleries from Pakistan will also feature on their rosters.

Exhibition: Watercolour, watercolour everywhere
There are artists in our part of the world who do not crave for popularity and keep working with missionary zeal to create the kind of art that they feel suits their purpose best without caring two hoots about others.

Bonhams: Leaps and bounds
Bonhams being amongst the world’s largest and expanding auctioneer of fine arts and antiques was founded and established in 1793 in the United Kingdom by Thomas Dodd, a dealer and print expert.

Art fiend: Nuances of a city in transition
Karachi today inspires and terrifies in equal measure. Once a dynamic city, it is now a victim of political chaos, crime and violence. How do its citizens survive in this mayhem? Reactions within the art milieu

Art work: Reinventing the past
The last time Jamil Naqsh exhibited his work in Lahore, it was more than a decade ago, in the year 1996. So not surprisingly, a considerable amount of excitement was generated amongst art lovers at the

Interview: Digital transitions
Mounting a solo after an absence of several years artist Sabah Hussain, presently director Lahore Arts Foundation Trust, and adjunct faculty, department of fine arts, MA (Hons) programme at National College of Arts (NCA), exhibited her recent work at Chawkandi Art, Karachi.

Artist’s work: Head to head
Artists have their distinct ways of construing the unpalatable incidents and events that happen around them on a regular basis.