Sculpture of mythical bird simurgh unveiled at Liaquat library

Internationally renowned artist Mohsen Keiany’s metal sculpture titled ‘Simurgh II’ was inaugurated in the grounds of the Liaquat Memorial Library, which also houses the Sambara Art Gallery, on Monday evening. The event titled ‘Art and Inclusivity’ was co-hosted by the Karachi Biennale Trust (KBT) and the Sindh Culture Department.

The sculpture was made after a mythical bird called simurgh that is found in Persian literature. Keiany had created it with upcycled metal scrap with the help of Karachi-based welders for the Second Karachi Biennale (KB19).

KBT Managing Trustee Niilofur Farrukh said they decided on this location for the bird after thinking about it for a year, because it is positioned between a repository of knowledge, which is the library, and the art gallery, where new creative ideas are supported.

“The young people coming to these places can experience this complex, majestic work of art,” she said, hoping that the new custodians of the sculpture would preserve and maintain it for the visitors over decades.

“All art is fragile; it needs attention, it needs to be talked about, and there has to be a dialogue around it,” she commented, offering that the KBT can help create this dialogue and the synergy with the audience.

Referring to a digital artwork by French artist Justine Emard that was featured in the previous Karachi Biennale, Niilofur said this gallery had hosted many exciting pieces that pushed the boundaries of art and technology, and the new ideas that were born with their synthesis.

The event on Monday also featured some young emerging artists from urban and rural parts of Sindh who were part of the KBT and culture department’s PechaKucha workshop. Caretaker culture minister Dr Junaid Ali Shah awarded a prize to the winning artist Bilal Ahmed. The four runners-up were Aisha Suria, Beenish Ahmed, Faisal Channa and Ali Murtaza.

Dr Shah said talented youth in the province lack platforms where they can nurture and showcase their talents and abilities. He said culture and sport are two areas that can promote a soft image of Pakistan abroad.

According to the KBT, the workshop was a communication and capacity-building initiative that reached out to artists under the age of 30 from Hyderabad, Sukkur, Naushahro Feroz, Jamshoro, Khairpur and Karachi, bringing them together over six weeks on a journey of learning.

The workshop consisted of two mentoring sessions, in which artists were guided by art educators on how to communicate about their art practice in a concise format. Their innovative and creative presentations were judged by a jury of art critics and art professionals.