The commitment of the Pakistan National Council of Arts’ management towards art and culture could be gauged from the fact that they had invited a federal minister to open a book-launching ceremony on Thursday who stunned the audience by saying that he knew nothing about art and culture. Federal Textile Industry Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin frankly told the participants that he was simply there because he had been invited to attend the ceremony.
The PNCA and the Foundation for Museum of Modern Art (FOMMA) Trust had arranged the launch of Salwat Ali’s book “Making Waves: Contemporary Art in Pakistan” at the National Art Gallery (NAG). The author, Salwat Ali herself, however, was not available on the occasion. Shahabuddin said, “Making Waves: Contemporary Art in Pakistan is indeed a commendable effort by the writer that can help us promote art and artists in Pakistan and build soft image of the country”. The minister jokingly said one of his friends had said that the textile industry should buy this book.
Salima Hashmi unveiled a number of artists and artistic media expressed in various ways, from modern contemporary miniatures, multimedia projects, drawing, painting and sculpture to print media, video and ceramics. “Pakistan has diversified art and culture and contemporary artists are committed doing their works in their respective fields since 1947. However, unfortunately, the space of intellectual discourse on art is limited in Pakistan, while cultural institutions are also not playing their due role,” Hashmi said. Dr Arjumad Faisal of Gallery6 said that contemporary art meant ‘now’ and Pakistani artists were working and creating art in various dimensions. “The book is a good compilation work with leading names in it but still skipped a few good artists and their works unfortunately,” Faisal added.
PNCA Visual Arts Director Musarrat Naheed Imam said the book had examined recent art trends and the defining ideas behind them were a commendable effort by Salwat Ali. A new art history is in the making and this volume concentrates on its progression by evaluating art and artists in the light of what they are exhibiting, who is responding to their art and why, Imam maintained adding Ali has shed light on art and cultural atmosphere which has flourished over the years in this part of the world.
About the Book: Authored by Salwat Ali, the book entitled, Making Waves: Contemporary Art in Pakistan showcases the work of numerous Pakistani artists. It ambitiously aims to chart the development of new art in Asia. The book was published by the Fomma Trust (Foundation for Museum of Modern Art) based in Karachi. “While new art in Asia resists easy categorisation, most Asian countries — including Pakistan — share common causal forces,” writes Ali in the introduction of the book. The book also includes interviews, published articles and reviews, and write-ups on art and artists showing soft image of Pakistan aboard. A considerable number of art lovers, diplomats, and students attended the event.