Tradition, innovation displayed at NCA

LAHORE
“Tradition & Innovation”, an exhibition of the creations of great artists of Pakistan, was showcased at a special exhibition organised by the National College of the Arts at its Zahoor-ul-Akhilaq Gallery on Monday.
The idea of this exhibition is to approach drawing as an independent discipline, as a mode of visual thinking rather than a preparatory exercise to execute painting, sculpture, print or miniature painting. The exhibition aims to bring together works of artists who have been known in their handling of drawing as an independent means of expression, as well as a vehicle to represent world around them. The participating artists included Collin David, Prof Dr Murtaza Jafri, Rahat Navid, Kaleem Khan, Jamil Baloch, Maria Khan and Akram Dost.
The exhibition includes works on paper along with pages from the sketchbooks of artists, because usually an audience is deprived of the chance to view how an artist thinks, changes and grows into his or her pictorial concerns. The pages of sketchbooks will provide students and general viewers with a unique opportunity to understand the creative process of an artist. It also establishes the importance of every mark made by an artist as ‘work’.
On the whole the exhibition seeks to realise and reaffirm that drawing is a genre that can be pursued, enjoyed and engaged with being an independent pictorial pursuit. It also presents some of the works by artists of diverse training and generations.
The exhibition was curated by Amina Hussain.