How art lovers fared through the pandemic?

Similar to everything else, arts and literary competitions were also shifted online this year

ISLAMABAD:

Through the sands of time, very few things have been able to mar the beauty and value of arts, literature, and traditions in human lives. Though seemingly inconsequential, these not only define a society’s culture but also resonate with individuals from every walk of life.

The onslaught of the pandemic in 2020 has left a brutal impact on the arts and literary aspects of our lives; however, their legacy is far from fading.

This year, the virus took a toll on the presence of art connoisseurs at museums, galleries and other cultural events across the country.

In Islamabad, a record low number of visitors was witnessed at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Folk Heritage Museum, National Book Foundation, Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban, Punjab Council of Arts etc.

The Central Film Censor Board, Natural History Museum, and private cinema houses also remained devoid of crowds.

Mirroring the shift towards technology, most of the events were held online. A few in-person events also took place, which included federal and provincial ministers and people from different schools of thought.

The participants in these events took all precautionary measures to protect themselves against the potential threat of the virus.

All the programs held online were conducted via the Zoom platform and the judges announced the results of the competitions online.

Former director general of Lok Virsa Khalid Javed said that art lovers should not give up in the face of adversity and should continue to tackle the situation head-on.

"Masks have become a part of our lives and we will take precautions to protect our future generations from potential threats," he told The Express Tribune.

Film promoter Shehzad Iftikhar revealed that the films that were supposed to be released this year will now see the light of the day in 2023.

To somewhat fill the void caused by the absence of the newly-released films, a private stage show was organised with the participation of popular artists from Karachi and Lahore.

TV actress Nargis Rasheed, senior producers Farooq Abbas Raja and Shabbir Mirza also attended the event, emphasising that there was an urgent need to improve the healthcare system as Pakistan is not a welfare state.

Prominent sculptor Aftab Changezi, painter Azeem Iqbal, sculptor Khokhar, painters Hanif Khan and Ashar Sindhu voiced similar views, saying their jobs are connected with people.

“Artwork cannot be sold without an exhibition of the art. Selling artwork online is not the same.”

Pakistan National Council of the Arts member Masroor Shah said that we have organised various programs online to keep art lovers connected.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2021.