- Culture Directorate preserving, promoting visual arts, craft heritage
PESHAWAR: Art plays an important role and has the potential to identify and express issues that are otherwise missed very easily. The Directorate of Culture of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is working progressively for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage of the province including visual arts and crafts heritage.
In this regard, a ceremony was held at the Directorate of Culture in which first ever online art gallery was launched for virtual exhibition and promotion of rich and diverse artistic heritage of the province. The event was conducted in a theatre hall of the Culture Directorate in the presence of art community from across the province.
Renowned artist Madam Tayyaba was chief guest accompanied by Dr Abasyn Yousafazai, Fazal Sattar Durrani, Dr Sher Ali, Jehanzeb Malik, Ali Sajid, Deputy Director Shahbaz Khan and Culture Director Ajmal Khan. Students and faculty members from Abdul Wali Khan University, Hazara University, University of Peshawar and other institutions participated in the event.
The ceremony was initiated by a launching animation prepared by visual art specialist Abdul Majid Khan showcasing the rich and diverse artwork of renowned artists of the province. Visual arts specialist Ahsan Zeb highlighted the aspects of the online art gallery and introduced the audience to the platform including registration and uploading artwork.
The Online Art Gallery is an initiative taken to give access and opportunity to all inhabitants of the province to register their artwork and showcase it. Varieties of artworks have been identified including paintings, sculpture, photography, drawings, sketches etc that can be accommodated and listed in this art gallery.
During their speeches, Abasyn Yousafzai appreciated the initiative and expressed his views about the important role of art in his poem “The Best Painting.” Dr Sher Ali and Ali Sajid expressed their feelings about this initiative and commended the steps taken by the Culture Directorate for art promotion.
Pakhtunkhwa College of Arts Principal Fazal Satar Durrani praised these initiatives of the Culture Directorate and hoped for inter-provincial coordination for art promotion and exhibition. Jehanzeb Malik and Chief Guest Tayaba articulated their views and appreciated the important strategies and policy frameworks adopted by the Culture Directorate for arts promotion and hoped for a physical art gallery for the rich work of the province.
At this moment, art personnel and students were encouraged to register and upload their artwork. Culture Director Ajmal Khan assured the participants that the directorate was taking every step for the promotion of art and its important role. In this regard, he said that the directorate has already submitted detailed plan and proposal for the building of physical art gallery in the province which will be materialised soon. The online art gallery can be accessed from the official website of the directorate.
