This is the first such exhibition on the subject to be held in India, and it has been jointly sponsored by the IIC and the Fomma Trust. It comprises more than 70 art publications made available by some of the leading art publishers in Pakistan.
Art the conclusion of the exhibition, the books will stand donated to the library of the IIC in New Delhi as a reference resource on Pakistan art and artists. In a special message on this occasion, the Chairman of the Fomma Trust, Zulfiqar A Lakhani, warmly welcomed the initiative to hold this exhibition in collaboration with the IIC in New Delhi. Following is the full text of his message.
"The Fomma Trust in Pakistan warmly welcomes the initiative to organise, in collaboration with the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi, an exhibition of 'Art Books & Periodicals from Pakistan'. "It is no more than a modest beginning as the present collection has been brought together at a rather short notice. The aim is to introduce contemporary art writing in Pakistan to a wider Indian readership.
"With this end in view, the Fomma Trust invited art publishers in Pakistan for their participation, and some of them have generously agreed to make voluntary contributions of art books and periodicals for this exhibition. These are not for sale but only by way of introduction. At the conclusion of the exhibition, all these publications will stand donated to the library of the India International Centre in New Delhi.
"Hopefully, this will form the nucleus of published material on our contemporary art and artists of Pakistan at a central place in India, and it could be suitably supplemented from time to time to serve as a useful resource for the study of the development of visual arts in our country.
"It will be our endeavour to put together at the Fomma Trust in Pakistan a similar collection of published material on contemporary art and artists of India. Indeed it is proposed to explore the possibility of organizing in Pakistan a reciprocal collaborative "Exhibition of Art Books & Periodicals from India". This could be sometime later this year or early 2014.-PR