ArtFest Karachi
2021
Publisher: Culture Department, Government of Sindh
Editor: Waheeda Baloch
ArtFest Karachi
2021
Publisher: Culture Department, Government of Sindh
Editor: Waheeda Baloch
The article maps the discursive sessions with artists, art critics and curators held during ArtFest Karachi.
Catalogue essay
Energizing Art with Dialogue and Documentation
By Niilofur Farrukh
ArtFest Karachi showcased artists’ works from the big and small towns of Sindh, and its discursive sessions echoed this inclusivity. On the first three days of the show, the curator Waheeda Baloch invited art professionals to participate in panel discussions to unpack the
complexities of art and its challenges. The conversation meandered through the personal journeys of established artists and the challenging process through which an art practice develops. The session on Performance Art, a genre gaining rapid popularity in Pakistan, helped to unveil its multiple facets.
Abdul Jabbar Gul, 2019
panel at artfest karachi
Manizeh Ali, 2021
Romaila Kareem, 2021
contribution to catalogues
The catalogue has been especially designed by Sabiha Imani to preserve the visual memory of the show. All the four sections of the show are highlighted with a bilingual contextual note.
2025
In the interview , Meher Afroz discusses the metaphysical experience , which is central to the show. Also highlighted is her process of transforming symbols to convey the quest for spiritual truth.
2012
The article maps the two distinct trajectories of the art practice of Amin Gulgee’s. His formal calligraphic sculpture and figurative iconography in metal and the experimental performances and installations that are time based and ephemeral.
2007
The article underlines how Amin Gulgee has been looking for the perfect balance between his formal sculptures and the spontaneous and asymmetrical creativity of his performative work, and impermanent installations.
2011
Postcolonial Theory explains how the concept of a ‘subaltern culture ‘ was built on the false assumption that, as Edward Saeed puts it ‘ the East was not capable of composing their own narrative’.
2010
As calligraphy changed from a symbol of identity to a component of a subversive strategy , its assimilation in visual arts continues to evolve
2006
‘Painting miniature is like expressing yourself in Urdu’ Imran Qureshi , the leading miniaturist tells Niilofur.
2000
Uraan (Flight) in this exhibition serves as an emblem of the spirit of change that imbued the creative mind in nascent Pakistan.
2002
Text for the catalogue of the show curated by Amin Gulgee and Sheherebano Hussain. The show addressed the nation’s ambivalent relationship with the representation of the body/ figure in visual culture.
2006
The catalogue covered the sixteen exhibitions held for the inaugural of the National Art Gallery Islamabad.
2007
Niilofur as its curatorial lead , described the project as a moving caravan that brought together over 200 artists to pay tribute to the memory of Zahoorul Akhlaq, Pakistan ‘s major artist who became a victim of violent crime. The artists worked on the Takhti , the wooden tablet that was used by the late artist.
2001
Niilofur as its curatorial lead , described the project as a moving caravan that brought together over 200 artists to pay tribute to the memory of Zahoorul Akhlaq, Pakistan ‘s major artist who became a victim of violent crime. The artists worked on the Takhti , the wooden tablet that was used by the late artist.
2001
The catalogue covered the sixteen exhibitions held for the inaugural of the National Art Gallery Islamabad.
2007
Text for the catalogue of the show curated by Amin Gulgee and Sheherebano Hussain. The show addressed the nation’s ambivalent relationship with the representation of the body/ figure in visual culture.
2006
‘Painting miniature is like expressing yourself in Urdu’ Imran Qureshi , the leading miniaturist tells Niilofur.
2000
The article maps the two distinct trajectories of the art practice of Amin Gulgee’s. His formal calligraphic sculpture and figurative iconography in metal and the experimental performances and installations that are time based and ephemeral.
2007
In the interview , Meher Afroz discusses the metaphysical experience , which is central to the show. Also highlighted is her process of transforming symbols to convey the quest for spiritual truth.
2012
Uraan (Flight) in this exhibition serves as an emblem of the spirit of change that imbued the creative mind in nascent Pakistan.
2002
Postcolonial Theory explains how the concept of a ‘subaltern culture ‘ was built on the false assumption that, as Edward Saeed puts it ‘ the East was not capable of composing their own narrative’.
2010
The article underlines how Amin Gulgee has been looking for the perfect balance between his formal sculptures and the spontaneous and asymmetrical creativity of his performative work, and impermanent installations.
2011