LAHORE: A five-day (May 18-22) exhibition featuring artworks, writings, poetry and photographs based on Lahore titled ‘Sheher Sazi and Soch Wichar (building cities and brainstorming) concluded on Friday at Alhamra Art Centre.

The exhibition was organised by Nigran-i-Lahore, a group of like-minded alumni and students of different art institutes, in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Council.

“It’s an important exhibition and a strong comment on present day Lahore while looking at the works on display in the exhibition one feels that Lahore has been clearly divided into two major portions - posh areas and the walled city,” Saleema Hashmi told Dawn. Ms Hashmi, dean of the School of Visual Arts at the BNU, was chief guest on the occasion.

She also stressed the need to revive old festivals of the city, especially Basant which proved cross sectional because Basant was one major occasion that gave opportunity to youngsters from posh areas and the people from other cities and localities generally to visit the old city and rejoice its beauty and ethnicity.

The exhibition that featured works of 12 schools, National College of Arts, Comset and the BNU, was based on cross sectional study of the city. Participants came up with a diverse range of works such as drawings, essays, poetry, animations and sketches revolving around new ideas for the city. Works suggest that how Lahore should look like. They raised thought-provoking questions in their works such as why walled city children did not have access to play grounds. Similarly, a sketch highlighted the city had been devoid of old trees in the name of urbanisation. A sketch depicted the truck art.

Maria Rana and Amna Irfan, two members of Nigran-e- Lahore, briefed Dawn about the exhibition.

They said the exhibition was the first effort by the group, adding the city had been described and perceived through the eye of participating artists in the exhibition.

The exhibition concluded with prize distributions among winners. Ms Hashmi gave away the prizes.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2015

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