The luxury of exhibitions: Artwork with no place to go
Artists yearn for galleries, display centres in city to showcase their work
PHOTO: PPI/FILE
PESHAWAR:
Art may be all around us in Peshawar, but art galleries? Not so much.
Artists from in the city yearn to have a proper venue where they could display their work, attract fellow art enthusiasts and earn a living from their skill.
“Every artist appreciates admiration. Artists want to showcase their work for the world to see and admire. And to receive constructive criticism to help improve their work,” said Naseeruddin Mohmand, a senior oil painter, talking to The Express Tribune.
Mohmand, whose paintings have focused extensively on old architecture and the beauty of the city, said a gallery in Peshawar has always been the dream, a place where artists could meet, exchange ideas, hold exhibitions and attract the younger lot to the field.
Without training institutes, very few people practise fine arts as a profession; most have taken it up as a hobby. The rest just limit their work to studios build inside their houses.
Visual commenters
It was Abasin Arts council that started art-related activities in city, but even its efforts have died down. Abasin Arts Council seldom organises art exhibitions in Nishtar Hall’s display area; the hall is mostly used for political gatherings.
Mohmand said though artists portray important political and socio-economic issues on their canvas, government has done little for them. The war-like situation in the province has forced many artists to focus on the impact of war – which is quite an international issue. Yet, a majority of their artwork is not known to the world, he complained. He said artists have demanded the government build art galleries in the city many times, but to no avail.
Other artists focus on abstract art – most of them being young and new in the field.
Focus all but art
Due to conflict in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and a lack of industrial development, the focus is on everything except the promotion of arts and culture. This is why those who chose to follow this profession cannot see a future in it, and thus one will not find many artists in K-P.
Even if there are not many artists from the province, the ones like Tayyeba Aziz, Jahanzeb Malik, Saeed Khan, Ajab Khan and dozens of new entrants still need support to make it as professionals in this industry.
Senior artists are also often blamed for doing little to help their own cause – for creating cliques and not being inclusive. However, these artists say it is difficult to train amateurs inside the tiny studios they have at home, Mohmand explained.
With no galleries and little help from the government, Mohmand says established artists are not better off by much as they try to sell their work from home. Previously, foreign tourists would buy their work, but ever since the tourism industry in the area took a hit because of military operation, business has slowed down.
“A display centre or art galleries will promote the art scene in the city,” said Imran Khan, a young artist currently attempting to master the technique of Gandhara pottery. He says he needs professional training to master the art, which is difficult to find in Peshawar. “There is no place [in Peshawar] where I can learn this art, as [arts] has never been a priority of any authority.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2015.
Art may be all around us in Peshawar, but art galleries? Not so much.
Artists from in the city yearn to have a proper venue where they could display their work, attract fellow art enthusiasts and earn a living from their skill.
“Every artist appreciates admiration. Artists want to showcase their work for the world to see and admire. And to receive constructive criticism to help improve their work,” said Naseeruddin Mohmand, a senior oil painter, talking to The Express Tribune.
Mohmand, whose paintings have focused extensively on old architecture and the beauty of the city, said a gallery in Peshawar has always been the dream, a place where artists could meet, exchange ideas, hold exhibitions and attract the younger lot to the field.
Without training institutes, very few people practise fine arts as a profession; most have taken it up as a hobby. The rest just limit their work to studios build inside their houses.
Visual commenters
It was Abasin Arts council that started art-related activities in city, but even its efforts have died down. Abasin Arts Council seldom organises art exhibitions in Nishtar Hall’s display area; the hall is mostly used for political gatherings.
Mohmand said though artists portray important political and socio-economic issues on their canvas, government has done little for them. The war-like situation in the province has forced many artists to focus on the impact of war – which is quite an international issue. Yet, a majority of their artwork is not known to the world, he complained. He said artists have demanded the government build art galleries in the city many times, but to no avail.
Other artists focus on abstract art – most of them being young and new in the field.
Focus all but art
Due to conflict in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and a lack of industrial development, the focus is on everything except the promotion of arts and culture. This is why those who chose to follow this profession cannot see a future in it, and thus one will not find many artists in K-P.
Even if there are not many artists from the province, the ones like Tayyeba Aziz, Jahanzeb Malik, Saeed Khan, Ajab Khan and dozens of new entrants still need support to make it as professionals in this industry.
Senior artists are also often blamed for doing little to help their own cause – for creating cliques and not being inclusive. However, these artists say it is difficult to train amateurs inside the tiny studios they have at home, Mohmand explained.
With no galleries and little help from the government, Mohmand says established artists are not better off by much as they try to sell their work from home. Previously, foreign tourists would buy their work, but ever since the tourism industry in the area took a hit because of military operation, business has slowed down.
“A display centre or art galleries will promote the art scene in the city,” said Imran Khan, a young artist currently attempting to master the technique of Gandhara pottery. He says he needs professional training to master the art, which is difficult to find in Peshawar. “There is no place [in Peshawar] where I can learn this art, as [arts] has never been a priority of any authority.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2015.