From 1961 to 1977, Pakistani Modernist artist and gallerist Zubeida Agha (1922-1997) ran the Rawa... more From 1961 to 1977, Pakistani Modernist artist and gallerist Zubeida Agha (1922-1997) ran the Rawalpindi Art Galleries – Pakistan’s first art gallery since its founding in 1947. Agha worked closely with artists across West and East Pakistan (current day Bangladesh) and put together exhibitions in Pakistan and on an international platform. On a micro level, there is little to no literature available on the gallery and its programming, other than an acknowledgment of its existence. On a macro level, the same scarcity of literature is evident regarding shared artistic activities between Pakistan and Bangladesh, especially when they were one nation, from 1947-1971.
This paper seeks to introduce audiences to these shared exhibition histories through the lens of Agha’s work and the Rawalpindi Art Galleries. It will also seek to articulate the role of the state in the art world of the early years of Pakistan, when the lines between public and private programming were still blurry. These insights have been made possible by examining ephemera collected from Agha’s residence, as part of a research fellowship supported by Lahore Biennale Foundation and Asia Art Archive.
---
Paper presented at:
- ‘Displays of Internationalism’ - symposium at the Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh. February, 2018.
- 'Karachi Seminar: Critical Perspectives on Art and Education' - seminar organised by Tate Research Centre: Asia in partnership with Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan. March, 2018.
Exhibition Catalogue: All the Letters in All the Stars, 2018
Catalogue published by Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE.
"All the Letters in All the Stars" is ... more Catalogue published by Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE.
"All the Letters in All the Stars" is Timo Nasseri's first solo exhibition in the UAE and its starting point is the story of Ibn Muqla, a 10th century calligrapher who claimed to have found four missing letters in the Arabic language.
Exhibition Catalogue: Everything we do is music, 2017
'Lighting Fires' looks at the drawing practices of Nasreen Mohamedi, Lala Rukh, Shahzia Sikander ... more 'Lighting Fires' looks at the drawing practices of Nasreen Mohamedi, Lala Rukh, Shahzia Sikander and Francesco Clemente, specifically through the works presented in the exhibition 'Everything we do is music', curated by Shanay Jhaveri.
'Everything we do is music' explores Indian classical music as a source of inspiration for a diverse group of modern and contemporary artists. This catalogue reflects upon the ways in which something as distinct as Indian classical music is connected with the visual arts. It brings together a host of approaches, from the figurative and graphic to the abstract and performative. Drawing and the act of mark making emerges as a guiding principle within the diverse artistic approaches to prompt reflections on how an oral tradition like Indian classical music has come to be experienced and represented; to wonder at how artists react and respond to sound to create images.
- Editors: Shanay Jhaveri, Kate Macfarlane
- Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Everything we do is music at Drawing Room, London, 30 November 2017 – 18 February 2018.
- Also includes essays by Shanay Jhaveri (Assistant Curator, South Asia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and Alexander Keefe.
Note: This pdf contains a correction to footnote 17, crossing out the first few words which were accidentally copied there.
Essay on Pakistani artist Lala Rukh's (1948-2017) Documenta 14 commission. The essay was part of ... more Essay on Pakistani artist Lala Rukh's (1948-2017) Documenta 14 commission. The essay was part of the publication 'Rupak', published by Grey Noise, Dubai in April of 2017.
Exploring literary influences in the practice of artist Chitra Ganesh.
Published in Papercuts (Vo... more Exploring literary influences in the practice of artist Chitra Ganesh. Published in Papercuts (Vol. 15, Fall 2015 issue) - a South Asian literary journal of poetry, prose and reportage, published by DWL.
A review of Naiza Khan's solo project 'Manora: Field Notes', presented at Pakistan's first pavili... more A review of Naiza Khan's solo project 'Manora: Field Notes', presented at Pakistan's first pavilion at the Venice Biennale (58th International Art Exhibition, titled May You Live In Interesting Times).
Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia, Winter 2017 | Review of Ramin Haerizadeh's solo exhibition "To Be or ... more Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia, Winter 2017 | Review of Ramin Haerizadeh's solo exhibition "To Be or Not To Be, That is the Question. And Though, it Troubles the Digestion" at Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde. September 13 - November 2, 2017
From 1961 to 1977, Pakistani Modernist artist and gallerist Zubeida Agha (1922-1997) ran the Rawa... more From 1961 to 1977, Pakistani Modernist artist and gallerist Zubeida Agha (1922-1997) ran the Rawalpindi Art Galleries – Pakistan’s first art gallery since its founding in 1947. Agha worked closely with artists across West and East Pakistan (current day Bangladesh) and put together exhibitions in Pakistan and on an international platform. On a micro level, there is little to no literature available on the gallery and its programming, other than an acknowledgment of its existence. On a macro level, the same scarcity of literature is evident regarding shared artistic activities between Pakistan and Bangladesh, especially when they were one nation, from 1947-1971.
This paper seeks to introduce audiences to these shared exhibition histories through the lens of Agha’s work and the Rawalpindi Art Galleries. It will also seek to articulate the role of the state in the art world of the early years of Pakistan, when the lines between public and private programming were still blurry. These insights have been made possible by examining ephemera collected from Agha’s residence, as part of a research fellowship supported by Lahore Biennale Foundation and Asia Art Archive.
---
Paper presented at:
- ‘Displays of Internationalism’ - symposium at the Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh. February, 2018.
- 'Karachi Seminar: Critical Perspectives on Art and Education' - seminar organised by Tate Research Centre: Asia in partnership with Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan. March, 2018.
Exhibition Catalogue: All the Letters in All the Stars, 2018
Catalogue published by Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE.
"All the Letters in All the Stars" is ... more Catalogue published by Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE.
"All the Letters in All the Stars" is Timo Nasseri's first solo exhibition in the UAE and its starting point is the story of Ibn Muqla, a 10th century calligrapher who claimed to have found four missing letters in the Arabic language.
Exhibition Catalogue: Everything we do is music, 2017
'Lighting Fires' looks at the drawing practices of Nasreen Mohamedi, Lala Rukh, Shahzia Sikander ... more 'Lighting Fires' looks at the drawing practices of Nasreen Mohamedi, Lala Rukh, Shahzia Sikander and Francesco Clemente, specifically through the works presented in the exhibition 'Everything we do is music', curated by Shanay Jhaveri.
'Everything we do is music' explores Indian classical music as a source of inspiration for a diverse group of modern and contemporary artists. This catalogue reflects upon the ways in which something as distinct as Indian classical music is connected with the visual arts. It brings together a host of approaches, from the figurative and graphic to the abstract and performative. Drawing and the act of mark making emerges as a guiding principle within the diverse artistic approaches to prompt reflections on how an oral tradition like Indian classical music has come to be experienced and represented; to wonder at how artists react and respond to sound to create images.
- Editors: Shanay Jhaveri, Kate Macfarlane
- Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Everything we do is music at Drawing Room, London, 30 November 2017 – 18 February 2018.
- Also includes essays by Shanay Jhaveri (Assistant Curator, South Asia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and Alexander Keefe.
Note: This pdf contains a correction to footnote 17, crossing out the first few words which were accidentally copied there.
Essay on Pakistani artist Lala Rukh's (1948-2017) Documenta 14 commission. The essay was part of ... more Essay on Pakistani artist Lala Rukh's (1948-2017) Documenta 14 commission. The essay was part of the publication 'Rupak', published by Grey Noise, Dubai in April of 2017.
Exploring literary influences in the practice of artist Chitra Ganesh.
Published in Papercuts (Vo... more Exploring literary influences in the practice of artist Chitra Ganesh. Published in Papercuts (Vol. 15, Fall 2015 issue) - a South Asian literary journal of poetry, prose and reportage, published by DWL.
A review of Naiza Khan's solo project 'Manora: Field Notes', presented at Pakistan's first pavili... more A review of Naiza Khan's solo project 'Manora: Field Notes', presented at Pakistan's first pavilion at the Venice Biennale (58th International Art Exhibition, titled May You Live In Interesting Times).
Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia, Winter 2017 | Review of Ramin Haerizadeh's solo exhibition "To Be or ... more Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia, Winter 2017 | Review of Ramin Haerizadeh's solo exhibition "To Be or Not To Be, That is the Question. And Though, it Troubles the Digestion" at Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde. September 13 - November 2, 2017
Uploads
Paper by Saira Ansari
This paper seeks to introduce audiences to these shared exhibition histories through the lens of Agha’s work and the Rawalpindi Art Galleries. It will also seek to articulate the role of the state in the art world of the early years of Pakistan, when the lines between public and private programming were still blurry. These insights have been made possible by examining ephemera collected from Agha’s residence, as part of a research fellowship supported by Lahore Biennale Foundation and Asia Art Archive.
---
Paper presented at:
- ‘Displays of Internationalism’ - symposium at the Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh. February, 2018.
- 'Karachi Seminar: Critical Perspectives on Art and Education' - seminar organised by Tate Research Centre: Asia in partnership with Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan. March, 2018.
Essay by Saira Ansari
"All the Letters in All the Stars" is Timo Nasseri's first solo exhibition in the UAE and its starting point is the story of Ibn Muqla, a 10th century calligrapher who claimed to have found four missing letters in the Arabic language.
Language: English./Arabic
'Everything we do is music' explores Indian classical music as a source of inspiration for a diverse group of modern and contemporary artists. This catalogue reflects upon the ways in which something as distinct as Indian classical music is connected with the visual arts. It brings together a host of approaches, from the figurative and graphic to the abstract and performative. Drawing and the act of mark making emerges as a guiding principle within the diverse artistic approaches to prompt reflections on how an oral tradition like Indian classical music has come to be experienced and represented; to wonder at how artists react and respond to sound to create images.
- Editors: Shanay Jhaveri, Kate Macfarlane
- Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Everything we do is music at Drawing Room, London, 30 November 2017 – 18 February 2018.
- Also includes essays by Shanay Jhaveri (Assistant Curator, South Asia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and Alexander Keefe.
Note: This pdf contains a correction to footnote 17, crossing out the first few words which were accidentally copied there.
Published in Papercuts (Vol. 15, Fall 2015 issue) - a South Asian literary journal of poetry, prose and reportage, published by DWL.
Reviews by Saira Ansari
Published online by ArtNow Pakistan
This paper seeks to introduce audiences to these shared exhibition histories through the lens of Agha’s work and the Rawalpindi Art Galleries. It will also seek to articulate the role of the state in the art world of the early years of Pakistan, when the lines between public and private programming were still blurry. These insights have been made possible by examining ephemera collected from Agha’s residence, as part of a research fellowship supported by Lahore Biennale Foundation and Asia Art Archive.
---
Paper presented at:
- ‘Displays of Internationalism’ - symposium at the Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh. February, 2018.
- 'Karachi Seminar: Critical Perspectives on Art and Education' - seminar organised by Tate Research Centre: Asia in partnership with Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan. March, 2018.
"All the Letters in All the Stars" is Timo Nasseri's first solo exhibition in the UAE and its starting point is the story of Ibn Muqla, a 10th century calligrapher who claimed to have found four missing letters in the Arabic language.
Language: English./Arabic
'Everything we do is music' explores Indian classical music as a source of inspiration for a diverse group of modern and contemporary artists. This catalogue reflects upon the ways in which something as distinct as Indian classical music is connected with the visual arts. It brings together a host of approaches, from the figurative and graphic to the abstract and performative. Drawing and the act of mark making emerges as a guiding principle within the diverse artistic approaches to prompt reflections on how an oral tradition like Indian classical music has come to be experienced and represented; to wonder at how artists react and respond to sound to create images.
- Editors: Shanay Jhaveri, Kate Macfarlane
- Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Everything we do is music at Drawing Room, London, 30 November 2017 – 18 February 2018.
- Also includes essays by Shanay Jhaveri (Assistant Curator, South Asia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) and Alexander Keefe.
Note: This pdf contains a correction to footnote 17, crossing out the first few words which were accidentally copied there.
Published in Papercuts (Vol. 15, Fall 2015 issue) - a South Asian literary journal of poetry, prose and reportage, published by DWL.
Published online by ArtNow Pakistan