Creating opportunities: ‘Use art for peace’

LAHORE:

Art is a powerful means of expression. The artists should create opportunities for other people, Southbank Centre London Artistic Director Jude Kelly said on Friday. She was speaking at a talk, titled After the War, organised by the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD).

Citing the case of Pakistan, Kelly discussed how art could bring cohesiveness in war-affected regions to help maintain peace. She discussed how the love and appreciation of art had brought people together in the post-World War II era. The same, she said, could be done in Pakistan.

Kelly said an artist could create social content by making art relevant to people. Using images, she showed how the Southbank Centre explored cultural integration and focused on the idea of participation. The talk was followed by a question-answer session and a meeting of Kelley with BNU representatives, including VC Shahid Kardar. She visited the BNU’s Arts Studios. Kelly has represented Britain at the UNESCO, served on the Arts Advisory Committee for Royal Society of Arts, and chaired with Lord Puttnam the Curricula Advisory Committee on Arts and Creativity.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2015.