The eye still seeks and will not be still

Book compiled by Salima Hashmi launched at session.

LAHORE:

Everything in the field of art is inspired, artist Salima Hashmi said at a session titled The Eye Still Seeks and Will Not be Still.

Her book, The Eye Still Seeks, was also launched at the session. Hashmi said she was amazed to see so many people gathered to witness a discourse on art. She recalled that the late National College of Arts (NCA) principal Shakir Ali had once remarked that she and her contemporaries were fortunate to have people to speak with.

Hashmi spoke about how students were taught at the NCA and the Beaconhouse National University (BNU). She said she had gone out of the way to accommodate students from interior Sindh. Hashmi said they tended to be at a disadvantage as they lacked command of English language. She said she had done many a “hanky-panky” to induct students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Art Historian Virginia Whiles praised the book calling it “a tremendous” work documenting contemporary arts in Pakistan. She said there had been a paucity of a structural framework to address the history of art. Whiles also compared trends in art education in India and Pakistan. She said an extraordinary network of artists had taken root in the nation. Whiles said traditional practices with regard to the imparting of art education were still commonplace in India.

She also spoke about the work included in Hashmi’s book. Whiles said an article written by Nazish Attaullah explored the intimacy between the “observer and the observed.” She said Hashmi’s piece on the work of Muhammad Ali Talpur “was very loving and maternal.” Whiles said a recent visit to a degree show featuring the work of students from a celebrated arts college had left her perturbed. She said the work displayed between 2000 and 2013 had been better. She expressed concern over the trend of “making something different” gaining currency among young artists.

Architect Martand Khosla, who moderated the session, stressed the need for facilitating an exchange of artists between India and Pakistan. He said this was imperative due to the composite nature of South Asia’s cultural identity. Khosla said the presence of vibrant communities in Pakistan composed of practicing artists who also imparted art education made it stand apart from India.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2015.