Pakistan’s beauty attracts from common man to royals: Zakaria

LONDON: High Commissioner Mohammad Nafees Zakaria has said the beauty of Pakistan attracts from common man to royals to visit the country and experience its colourful heritage.

He made these remarks at the launch of the catalogue of Manora Field Notes — an art exhibition by a Pakistani artist Naiza Khan representing the inaugural Pavilion of Pakistan at the Venice Biennale, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

The launch ceremony was jointly organised by the High Commission and Foundation Art Divvy which promotes contemporary art from Pakistan around the world. To celebrate the launch of the catalogue, artist Naiza Khan and curator Zahra Khan were joined in conversation with art historian and catalogue contributor Emilia Terracciano, an author and art historian.

The High Commissioner appreciated the efforts of artist Naiza Khan and curator Zahra Khan in promoting Pakistani art and culture and showing the beauty and diversity of Pakistan at the Venice Biennale. “The catalogue captures the essence of our rich art and cultural heritage,” Zakaria said while appreciating the support of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Pakistan National Council of Arts in setting up an official national pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale, which is a landmark in promotion and projection of Pakistan.

The High Commissioner said: “Beauty of Pakistan has attracted from common man to royals to visit the country and experience its colourful heritage. Recent visit of the royal couple also brought to the fore glimpses of that heritage. I am confident that such initiatives would help create better understanding of Pakistan in the UK and at the international level.”

While expressing gratitude to the High Commissioner for his support, Naiza Khan commented: “Manora Field Notes is in some ways a homage to Manora Island and the port of Karachi. There are interesting parallels between Karachi and Venice — both are port cities within historic transnational trade routes, who have had to negotiate modernity and industrialisation.”

Zahra Khan said: “The Pavilion of Pakistan gives visitors an insight into a nation navigating its way through a changing contemporary culture. The presentation encourages the vision of the artist as a lens through which the public can encounter a more nuanced view of the region, and consider places across the world undergoing similar transformations.”

The catalogue documents the pavilion through richly printed photographs of the multimedia installations as well as images of archival material and the artistic production process. Ahmereen Raza conducted the ceremony.