Daily Times

LAHORE: Society for Cultural Education (SCE), in collaboration with the Trust for History, Art and Architecture of Pakistan (THAAP) and Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), organised an informative and fruitful seminar on ‘Rethinking the Modern through Shakir Ali’ at THAAP Head Office in Gulberg on Saturday.

The seminar aimed to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Shakir Ali by exploring his times, works and life. Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairman and University of Culture and Art Vice Chancellor-designate Prof Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin participated as the chief guest along with Austrian art researcher and educationist Simone Wille. THAAP CEO Sajida Haider Vandal, PNCA Director General Jamal Shah, Shakir Ali Museum Director Amna Pataudi, eminent artist Mian Ijazul Hassan, scholars, students and other people were also present on the occasion.

The participants paid rich tribute to the thinkers of the 50’s who added a flavour of modernity in the development of Pakistani art of later decades with special reference to Shakir Ali. The informal gatherings of poets, writers and artists at Pak Tea House with their vigorous intellectual involvement in sociopolitical happenings nurtured Pakistani art into an established institution of the society, capable of representing a glorious past, proficient to live a thriving present and competent to reflect upon a splendid future, they added.

The significance of the seminar was increased manifolds as it initiated a dialogue of visual and literary practice during the early years of Pakistan, implying a close attention to the specific local contexts, which not only laid the foundation of modern art in Pakistan but also shaped its contemporary thought and practice.

Addressing the participants, PHEC Chairman Nizamuddin said that Shakir Ali was a prominent Pakistani modern artist who possessed a keen sense to feel and interpret human emotions and thoughts. He further said HEC would play a vital role to enhance the culture of art education along with its values.

In her keynote address, Simone Wille explored the patterns of trans-regional trails – the materiality of art works and their place in the modern era.

In the two sessions, total eight research papers were presented by different scholars who discussed the literary and academic contribution of the intellectuals of 1950s that left a lasting impression on the fine arts of Pakistan. Leading centre for this development was Lahore, which has been a cultural hub for centuries.

First session was chaired by Mian Ijazul Hassan, while the first paper, titled ‘Notions of Modernity in Pakistani Art-The Case of Shakir Ali’, of the seminar was presented by Sadia Kmaran, a doctoral researcher and an instructor of art history and art theory. The second paper, titled ‘A Critical Reading of the Modern Art in India: the 60s & 70s’, was presented by Nuzhat Kazmi, a scholar, academic, writer and a faculty member at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. Third paper, titled ‘Shakir Ali, an Enigma within a Layered Reality’, was presented by Iram Zia Raja, head of Textile Department at the National College of Arts. The fourth paper, titled ‘Shakir Ali- a Fond Memory’, was presented by Marjorie Hussain, a renowned Karachi-based art writer and author.

Prof Sajida Vandal chaired the second session of the seminar in which the fifth paper, titled ‘Modernity with reference to the Pakistani architecture’, was presented by University of Culture and Art Assistant Professor Mehwish Abid. The sixth paper, titled ‘Shakir Ali – of Human and other Species’, was presented by Quddus Mirza, an art critic, artist, art educator and writer. Prof Maimoona Khan and Prof Alia Sohail presented the seventh paper, titled ‘Leda and the Swan and The Mythical and Political Connotations’, while the final paper, titled ‘Modernity as Nuanced’, was presented by Sarwat Ali. The paper was followed by a proactive discussion session that brought a successful closure to the seminar.