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    Karachi Biennale Website Launch

    Written by: Hamad Ali
    Posted on: August 27, 2019 | | 中文

    The Organizers and Panelists of KAD Launch

    It has been unfortunate that popular art in Pakistan has been undocumented, uncharted and underappreciated. The city’s large collector base was initially nurtured by renowned artist Ali Imam, when he opened the doors of the Indus Gallery in Karachi in 1970. Today, it is still Karachi that is seen as the artistic hub of the the country, with dozens of art galleries offering opportunities to artists from all over Pakistan and abroad to showcase their art.

    Since the 1970s, many artists have emerged, who belong to different disciplines and hone different processes and mediums. Particularly, in today’s modern world, social media has played a strong role in introducing these new artists to a wider audience of art enthusiasts, and has kept everyone up-to-date on the latest trends and techniques in the art world.

    However, what was missing was an easy and accessible database, which archived classic and contemporary artists for artistic and academic purposes. Acutely aware of the need for such a place, Karachi Biennale Trust (KBT) decided to take on the mammoth task of documenting the diverse art scene of Karachi as a holistic and a comprehensive online website. Thus, the Karachi Art Directory (KAD) was born.

    KAD belongs to the Discursive Project, a committee of KBT that focuses specifically on creating, documenting and archiving art for research purposes. KAD is an online database that maps out the diverse and vast art-scape of Karachi and other towns of Sindh. So far, KAD has documented 157 visual artists, including contemporary artists, calligraphers and truck artists. It has reviewed 47 art galleries and art institutions in the city, and has a roster of 22 art critics and writers from Karachi and smaller cities of Sindh. The user-friendly website uses data visualizations specifically designed to help researchers and students both navigate the site, and find relevant material/experts to consult for their individual projects.

    Niilofur Farrukh inagurating the event

    Niilofur Farrukh inagurating the event

    KAD was officially launched on 24th August, at the Ahmed Parvez Gallery, in the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi. This particular gallery was selected because of its historical and pivotal role in the promotion of art in this country. The space was re-designed by Zainab Marvi using a clean, minimal design aesthetic. She used a sky blue and lilac color palate to not only soften the visual appeal but also create a safe and tranquil atmosphere to view and discuss the art within it. Those who attended the launch, also got a preview of the site on laptops and interactive screens.

    The event was inaugurated with an address by the managing trustee of KBT, Niilofur Farrukh, who emphasized the need to document and research all forms of art in Pakistan. This was followed by a presentation by the co-chair off the project, Tazeen Hussain, who talked about the process of documentation for the project, and the interesting discoveries made along the way. In particular, she came across an online group of calligraphers, who further gave her access to an even more extensive list of practitioners, who had hitherto been unnoticed in the artistic community.

    (L-R) Munawar Syed, Bushra Hussain, Nimra Khan, Tazeen Hussain, Nusrat Khawaja

    (L-R) Munawar Syed, Bushra Hussain, Nimra Khan, Tazeen Hussain, Nusrat Khawaja

    The launch concluded with a panel discussion of artistic experts and practitioners, featuring Mehr Afroz and Munawar Ali Syed, art critic Nimra Khan, Bushra Hussain and Tazeen Hussain – co-chairs of KAD, and Kashif Khan, who represented the calligrapher’s guild. The main questions raised during the discussion were the importance of, and the ways of making high art as accessible to the general public as possible. This also involves allowing more obscure, small-scale artists to access the site in order to find contacts and collaborators, who may be interested in their work. The discussion also touched upon the importance of social media in general, for the growth and perpetuation of the local artistic community.

    KAD will be updated bi-annually in order to accurately reflect the changing face of the country’s art scene. Along with that, the website will document migrations of artists, support and acknowledge emerging artists, and serve as a database for primary research on the burgeoning Karachi art scene. The website can be visited at karachiartdirectory.com.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021