Arts and culture: A good year ends with hope for an even brighter one

Art galleries, cultural bodies have high expectations for 2014.

ISLAMABAD:

Today was good, today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. This quote by Dr Seuss may reflect the anticipations that people have for the New Year, especially when there is so much to look forward to in the sphere of arts and culture.

“We are very excited about the new year,” said Tülin-Khalid Azim,  senior programme manager at Kuch Khaas (KK) Centre for Art, Culture and Dialogue. “This year, we are aiming to change gears somewhat by taking all our programmes and turning them into festivals,” she added. Starting with Rock Fest in January, KK has festivals planned throughout the year in addition to their usual lineup and happenings calendar. Food Bazaars to help St. Joseph’s Hospice will also become a monthly feature, with different themes each month.

Nageen Hyat, owner and director of the Nomad Centre and Art Gallery, seems just as optimistic, if not more. “Generally speaking, I hope for a more peaceful and tolerant society with a strong focus on the rich heritage and living  culture that we have lived and grown up with as opposed to the aspects of our culture that we are having to address now,” she said. Nomad will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, encompassing arts and crafts, human rights, peace and development.

“We are looking into promoting Pakistani literature and authors through Base Camp,” said Nida Tariq Godinho at the Serena Hotel. Base Camp at Rakaposhi is a recent venture that aims to foster young talent by providing them a platform to showcase their craft at the hotel’s Rakaposhi restaurant. “And then there is the SerenArts project, where we give upcoming artists and musicians a platform and promote their talents.” Moreover, Satrang Gallery at Serena will feature art and craft exhibitions and also host talks by art critics on monthly basis.

Festivals in flashback

The two-day Islamabad Literature Festival was a major event that attracted scores of multilingual writers, journalists and artists from across the country. The festival featured concurrent sessions on literature, history, politics as well as book launches, storytelling, recitals and a theatre play at the end. Apart from being an enlightening experience for literature buffs, the festival also provided them an opportunity to interact with the featured literati. Organised by Oxford University Press, the festival will make a comeback this year with a fresh lineup.

To commemorate the death anniversary of mystic poet Amir Khusro, a five-day festival featuring music, poetry, dance and literature was held at KK. The festival highlighted various facets of the poet’s life and personality, enlightening audience on the richness of his works and invention of traditional instruments such as tabla and sitar. The festival was organised by Institute for Preservation of Art and Culture in collaboration with KK, City FM89 and Danka.pk.

The traditional Lok Mela (folk festival) featured artists and artisans from across in the country in a unique annual showcase. The 10-day festival provided respite from the sweltering heat as families from the twin cities thronged to witness the multicultural showcase and music and dance extravaganza.

Revival of gallery spaces

Two of the capital’s oldest art galleries - Nomad and Rohtas - were revamped to introduce fresh talent while celebrating the seasoned artists.

Nomad was expanded to a full-fledged centre to cater to workshops on multimedia, a literary-themed café, an orange room for photography and the gallery space expanded across three rooms at a new venue. According to Hyat, the workshops are aimed at harnessing the energies of youth and marginalised communities in a productive manner.

Meanwhile, Khaas Art Gallery reopened in the capital with expanded space and a foray for a plethora of new artists. A recent art exhibition of fresh graduates of the National College of the Arts (NCA), Rawalpindi was sold out. The show included digital prints, hand-stitched dresses and miniature art.

NCA Rawalpindi revived their gallery space, opening with an elaborate showcase of miniature art by their alumni. Successive art exhibitions and installations have promoted the indigenous artists. It also showcased an art installation and an award-winning independent film by an alumnus and visual artist Mumtaz Hussain.

In a one-of-its-kind move, the physical Art and Soul Gallery, which is something of a collector’s museum, hosted the launch of the online art gallery “Me Art World” in September.

Launched in 2012, the Abida Parveen Gallerie featuring the legendary folk singer’s music, collection of art and walk-in boutique is something of an artist’s museum. The boutique and gallery have been hosting brand launches and art and music functions at odd intervals throughout the outgoing year.

In limbo

Aqs, an all-encompassing venue of an art gallery, café and auditorium was a recent addition to the capital. Though a promising platform to vent the creative arts, its operations were halted by the Capital Development Authority based on violations of the terms and conditions under which the location was leased. Running successfully for less than a year, it hosted some out-of-the-box events such as photography and art exhibitions and documentary screenings.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2014.