The art scene of our country has come a long way in the last decade, which is evident from the escalating art activities in different cities. The art activities calendar runs throughout the year as different art galleries organize group shows as well as solo exhibitions catering to the tastes of art enthusiasts, art connoisseurs, art students, amateur artists and art admirers of their respective city.
Being a capital city Islamabad is famous for government offices, Parliament House, and diplomatic enclaves and foreign embassies. Islamabad is home to many migrants from other regions of Pakistan and due to diplomatic enclaves and foreign embassies it has a cultural and religious diversity of considerable antiquity. Majority of the people living in Islamabad are government employees who go to their hometowns to see their families/relatives on weekends. They do have social life in Islamabad but not as much like in other cities.
But during last decade this trend has been changed a lot of restaurants, fast food chains, and shopping centers have been opened in the city and the city has become livelier. In this scenario art galleries are playing a major role in promoting cultural activities.
Islamabad has nurtured many well-known artists including Mansoor Rahi, Musarrat Naheed Imam, Tayyaba Aziz, Hajra Mansoor, Najm H Kazmi, Tabassum Rizvi, Mehmood Rana, Aqeel Ahmed Solangi, Mobina Zuberi and Ahmed Iqbal. While visiting my relatives in Islamabad I was invited to the birthday celebration of famous artist Mansoor Rahi on 1st January. I was welcomed by artist Hajra Mansoor at their residence. The artist couple has set up a small gallery at their home to the delight of capital's art enthusiasts.
During my visit I was also invited by Naheeda Raza, curator and owner of Jharoka Art Gallery. The gallery arranges exhibitions of established and young emerging contemporary painters and sculptors of Pakistan including drawings, landscape paintings, calligraphies and figurative works. The gallery encourages young and talented artists by displaying paintings and sculptures of experimental and cutting edge nature. As the young artists are more enlightened and have an aspiration for better exotic ideas.
The other day I visited Arohi Art Gallery, on an invitation of Palwasha Butt the founder of the gallery. It is an online gallery opened in 2013 providing means to artists to show their work through a virtual platform to institutions, collectors and art lovers in other countries and geographical regions. The site gives background history and critical profile of the artist along with images of the work. A certificate of authenticity accompanies every artwork. And to the pleasure of art lovers the Arohi Art Gallery will be inaugurated in April this year in Islamabad.
Fostering and exploring visual arts for the enjoyment and praise of local art lovers galleries like Tanzara Gallery, Jharoka Art Gallery, Satrang Gallery, National Art Gallery, and Gallery 6 along with the renowned painters who are known for their works the paintings of young upcoming artists in different mediums were exhibited for the delight of art enthusiasts who wants a change. This also helps young people to gain knowledge and understand more about Visual Art and introduce legends of art to the younger generation.
Satrang Gallery was founded three years ago it is an initiative of Serena Hotels to promote contemporary art and artists of the country. I met artist Memoona of Satrang Gallery when she had participated recently in a residency programme in Karachi. She is a talented young artist and had many different perceptions and opinions.
Tanzara Gallery arranges exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography. It promotes visions that are unique to the artist as the artworks of an artist shows the artist's aesthetic sense and art for an art enthusiast is an aesthetic instinct as well as appreciation of the aesthetic sense of the artist.
Gallery 6 is the largest private art gallery in the capital city with over 400 running feet of display wall-space distributed on two floors. Established in 2008 the gallery has since held exhibitions locally and internationally thus providing platform to the local artists to display their artworks. The gallery has a large collection of paintings, prints and sculptures by master, established and emerging artists whose works reflect creative intelligence and originality.
These art galleries dealing with visual arts are spreading awareness about our culture to the outer world. Moreover the galleries aspire to promote art and talented artists who are part of our culturally rich society not only nationally but also on international art horizon.
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