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13-day long Int’l Islamabad Art Festival underway
November 21, 2019

A 13-day long an international Islamabad Art Festival 2019 (IAF-19) underway at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Islamabad.

The thematic focus of IAF-19 is “Dialogue Between Tradition and Modernity”.

People from all walks of life including artists of Pakistan, USA, Indonesia, China, Switzerland, Austria, Iran, France and Spain are attending the mega event.

The festival is being organized by a consortium of public and private educational institutions, art galleries and artist associations from across Pakistan, generous support from the corporate sector and in collaboration with foreign embassies.

IAF-19 is led by President and Chief Curator Jamal Shah, who worked in close collaboration with curators and artists from across Pakistan and abroad to bring together a vibrant show of visual and performing arts on a scale never before seen in Islamabad.

IAF-19 is a collaborative project and is being hosted in several locations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including museums, art galleries, educational institutes and public parks. The festival is expected to engage an audience of at least 500,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds and ages. The participants of the festival include over 200 individuals from 34 countries, and approximately 400 participants from across Pakistan.

 

It is for the first time that expression of almost all forms of art is being showcased together. Painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, textile design, dance, music, film, puppet shows, theatre, fashion design and performing arts from across the world will be available to satisfy the cultural aesthetic people in general. Simultaneously, Literature from different Lands is also being focused. An International Literary Conference is also being held in the ambit of the Festival. Discussant will comprise of prominent writers and poets from about 20 Asian African countries. They will assemble under the banner of a three day “International Writers Conference-Islamabad 2019. Their deliberations and poetry recital sessions will engage literature and academia circles to promote understanding of the cultures and mores of people from different parts of the world. All these art forms are being presented in venues open and accessible to the public.

At IAF-19, local artists will create, exhibit and perform right alongside their foreign counterparts, and catapult Pakistani art to new heights worldwide. Emerging artists will have an opportunity to interact with established and highly-respected artists and exhibit their work together on this collaborative platform.

The aim of the festival is to celebrate diversity and creativity in all forms of visual and performing arts. The spirit of creativity brings people together and strengthens society as a whole.

Collaborating with international artists will foster stronger relationships through cultural dialogue and exchange of ideas, and elevate Pakistani art and culture on a global level.

The academic component of IAF-19, developed in partnership with leading educational institutes of Pakistan, will include conferences, lectures and panel discussions; book launches; and interactive workshops for children and adults.

An art festival of this scale will have a far-reaching socioeconomic and cultural impact. It will broaden public access to creative and performing arts, and encourage people to explore their own creativity through workshops and interactive public art programs. It will also provide a shared platform for artists, performers, and scholars to develop a framework to further art education in Pakistan.

IAF-19 closing ceremony will be held on November 30, 2019.

 

Net/Khokhar