Cultural assets, crafts at Nairang

LAHORE
Resurrection, promotion and continuity of rich cultural assets and crafts of our region is the basic objective of the Nairang Craft Exhibition, a regular event of Nairang Art Gallery being inaugurated at 6pm on Feb 20 (Friday).
This was told by Nayyer Ali Dada , renowned architect, art teacher and the driving force behind the promotion of Pakistani arts and crafts while talking to The News on Wednesday.
Dada not only stressed the need to promote rich cultural assets of this region, including traditional crafts, pottery, ethnic crafts, vernacular and folk arts but he also emphasized the need to protect and resurrect them since the rich cultural heritage of this country was in great danger of being extinct if not preserved properly. He maintained: “We have a centuries old rich traditional vernacular and folk art which is not only rich in all aspects but also diverse in its nature which is dying due to the lack of patronage and promotion.” He said: “Take the traditional handmade pottery of Seriaki region, the handicrafts of Sindh and Balochistan, the ethnic crafts of Punjab and KPK, which is unique and mesmerizing. It is not only of a great cultural value but also a great source of foreign exchange and promotion of the country and its peaceful artistic culture.”
He said that this region of the world was rich in local crafts and design and the Nairang Art Gallery promotes the development of these crafts and their artisans. The gallery works closely with the craftsmen to exhibition rare and selected collection of carpets, traditional furniture, decorated glazed ceramics, ornamental lights, ethic jewelry, and art-prints of renowned painters and paintings of upcoming artists, along with several other fields of craft that will be showcased in this mega Craft Exhibition.