We the Peoples We the Arts 2019
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WE THE PEOPLES promoting Sustainable WE THE Development Goals ARTS through arts 2019 3 We the Peoples, We the Arts 2019 was produced by the Embassy of Switzerland in Pakistan and Pakistan National Council of the Arts in partnership with Compilation: Ishrat Saleem & Shafaq Zaidi Editing: Claire Louise Blaser Photogrpahy: MAK Productions Graphic Design: Mirko Neri © Embassy of Switzerland September 2019 Islamabad, Pakistan 4 WE THE PEOPLES WE THE ARTS 2019 promoting Sustainable Development Goals through arts WE THE PEOPLES WE THE promoting Sustainable Development Goals through arts ARTS 2019 6 Foreword Background The Jury p. 6 Engaging with Pakistan’s p. 7 We the Peoples, p. 12 The Jury 2019 Youth through Art We the Arts p. 14 The Jury 2018 p. 15 The Jury 2016 The Artwork BALOCHISTAN PUNJAB SINDH p. 18 Athar Raza p. 38 Ali Arshad p. 70 Aiman Rauf p. 20 Bibi Masooma p. 40 Ariqa Amir Waseem p. 72 Baneen Fatima p. 22 Feroza Hakeem p. 42 Bismah Hayat p. 74 Dua Rabay p. 24 Najeeb Baloch p. 44 Faiza Saleem p. 76 Haroon Rasheed p. 26 Rubina Gul p. 46 Janat Naeem p. 78 Haya Esbhani p. 48 Mahnoor Khawaja p. 80 Qiraat Soomro p. 50 Minahil Tauseef p. 82 Sumaiya Saiyed ISLAMABAD p. 52 Momina Shahid p. 84 Zahra Arif Rasheed p. 54 Nayab Fatima p. 28 Sayera Anwer p. 56 Noor Sajid p. 58 Raffia Azher p. 60 Sana Akram KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA p. 62 Syed Muhammad Sibtain p. 64 Yumna Qamar p. 30 Muhammad Ibrahim p. 66 Zafar Iqbal p. 32 Muhammad Ibrahim Sardar p. 68 Zainab Aamir p. 34 Muscca Sattar Jan Durrani p. 36 Sana Ullah 7 ENGAGING WITH PAKISTAN’S YOUTH THROUGH ART Thomas Kolly | Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan It gives me great pleasure to present to you the catalogue of the third edition of We the Peoples, We the Arts, organised in partnership with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. Art students from all over Pakistan submitted 221 art pieces on themes related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for this competition. The catalogue features the artwork se- lected in the first round of jury held in July this year. The submissions range from sculpture and miniature painting to mixed media and video. These artworks give a fascinating insight into how young Pakistanis view the world they live in today. They have come up with unique crea- tive expressions on issues closest to their hearts. Given the high quality of submissions, it was very challenging for the jury to select artists for the final round. The jury members wanted to ensure that the works would include a variety of approaches to contemporary art and practice, as well as represent geographical and gender di- versity. The finalists are invited to Islamabad where they will get a chance to interact with each other, participate in mentoring sessions with the international jury members and engage with the wider art community. This initiative aims to generate a conversation about the Sustainable Development Goals among the youth and to give them international exposure. Over the course of three editions, the project has become a recognisable brand and sustained a cohort of young artists from all over Pakistan. In return, the Embassy of Switzerland had the privilege of engaging with Pakistani artists, art in- stitutions and their work. We built linkages that we will continue to nurture in the future as well. I congratulate the talented young artists who have reached the final round and thank all parti- cipants for their time and effort. I would like to further express my gratitude to our partners and the jury members for sharing their expertise and for making this initiative so successful. 8 WE THE PEOPLES, WE THE ARTS Cecilia Canziani | Jury member We the Peoples, We the Arts 2018 and 2019 A coincidence, yet significant, as it often happens: these days, while writing this text, I am working with a group of art students on sharing their ideas on ecological disasters and how such ur- gent concerns are addressed through visual art, literature, art theory. It is the end of summer in Rome, we come from many different regions in the world, with diverse backgrounds, personal stories, and knowledge. We won’t solve any problems, but we’ll form more articulate, complex, possibly even complicated and less linear ideas, nurturing what we do. What we do is working with art, as either artists or theoreticians, and this we take very seriously because while not preventing dramatic or violent events, art can bring re- pressed narratives to the surface, deconstruct assumptions, give voice to silence, make space for voids and gaps. This, while not preventing social and political problems from occurring, has an impact by raising awareness and encouraging critical readings of the world, especially among young generations. The same ideas guided We the Peoples, We the Arts, a project developed by the Embassy of Switzerland, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United Nations Information Centre to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through visual arts. We the Peoples, We the Arts recognises in art a language that can empower indi- viduals and communities, and that can ensure that young people take a lead in social change. Conceived through dialogue between Head of SDC in Pakistan Stefanie Burri and Director of UN Information Centre Vittorio Cammarota in 2016, the project is shaped around the concept of exchange, aimed at creating networks of people and institutions. It nurtures knowledge production, gathered through art representatives of countries as different as Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Austria, India and Pakistan – because art indeed has the capacity to expand borders, connect people, create communities and build on difference. 9 The first edition of We the Peo- ples, We the Arts invited stu- dents of five schools across Pakistan to develop works high- lighting the SDG ‘Zero Hunger’. The competition was conducted in two jury rounds: the first had mentors and university repre- sentatives select artworks for the second phase, in which an international jury of art experts awarded a winner for each of the categories: painting, miniature and sculpture. Most important- ly, the second round brought all the finalists together in Islam- abad for the award ceremony. Beyond being a competition, Finalists of the 2016 edition interacting with jury members We the Peoples creates a frame- at the UN Information Centre, Islamabad work for conversation among the young students, fostering exchange in a simple yet pow- erful way. Sitting in a circle, the students talked of their practice, experiences and backgrounds. They became a group, present- ing a rich image of a future gen- eration of leaders and ambassa- dors of their country. Raising awareness among the new generations, developing new imagery on social issues, and providing a platform that fosters dialogue between the international art world and the young Pakistani art and educa- tional scenes are the concerns around which the first edition of We the Peoples revolved. And it Finalists of the 2018 edition interacting with jury members at Pakistan National Council of the Arts succeeded, to the point that what 10 was initially conceived as a one-off project became a three-edition venture, developed in close collaboration with international curator Alexie Glass-Kantor, who has been involved from the beginning. A crucial aspect of the project has been the creation of deep relationships with various art schools across Pakistan, and building on their contribution as places that shape the future generations of rep- resentatives of the country abroad. Vis- its to the schools and to art institutions with the participation of the internation- al jury members constituted an organic part of the subsequent editions, further highlighting that dialogue develops out of mutual understanding and being present Finalists of the 2016 edition with jury members over time. at the UN Information Centre Islamabad The second edition reached a larger num- ber of schools and submissions increased significantly. This time, the students could address any one of the 17 Sustainable De- velopment Goals, giving them the possi- bility to reflect on social, economic, and political concerns through a greater vari- ety of approaches. The exhibition of the finalist works was held at the Pakistan Na- tional Council of the Arts, which has since become a key partner. The students also received their mentoring in its spaces, highlighting the importance of art institu- tions as places of education and dialogue. As in the first edition, the students were invited to spend three days in Islamabad, but this time they participated in a rich programme including visits, meetings and L-R Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan Marc P. George, Priyanka Mathew, Vittorio Cammarota, Stefanie Burri, Benedik Hürzeler, Alexie Glass-Kantor and a mentoring session where the young art- Myrah Nerine Butt at the Award Ceremony in 2016 ists discussed the works they submitted, their 11 interests, hopes, goals. The conver- sations, which continued informally in the days to come, expanded on the role of artists in society, on art as a way to question inequality and to advocate for change. A panel discussion included interloc- utors such as the respective deans of the participating schools, jury mem- bers Pakistani artists and activists. It addressed the role and effectiveness of international bodies within Paki- stan, the impact the competition had on the schools involved, the agency of art in raising awareness about socio- political concerns. This discussion was useful to frame the project and act as a think-tank for the next edition. What I believe is even more important is that over the course of three days, the fi- nalist students became a community: confronting approaches and practices, experiences and ideas together.