THE art sessions hosted by ArtNow, carried out in parallel with the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) , provided much insight into the need for disseminating an art education, for more cultural spaces to display artworks, and above all, the need for the right of self expression.

Gallerist Sameera Raja, moderating the session ‘Art, Culture and Power’, stressed the importance of art in public spaces. As the philanthropy of art was brought up, the discussion called on private and corporate entities to step in to fill the void of public art spaces.

The role of the individual, too, was keenly stressed, as people were encouraged to take on an exploration of the artistic medium, whether it is investing in your own collection, or engaging with art within the public and private realm.

Veteran collector Rehana Saigol advised individuals to collect art that is evocative, and to buy instinctively, ignoring market influences. Recounting her personal experiences, she pointed to a curiosity and an encouraging environment in fostering and honing an aesthetic sense, and an interest in the arts. On its benefits, Saigol stated how art and music possess the capacity to enrich and comfort our souls, expressing the value of nurturing our art, artists and musicians. It “encourages us to celebrate the diversity [rather] than to bemoan the differences” she said.

More organic arguments about the creation of art were also discussed, such as whether the gallery or an audience dictates an artist’s creation. Artist Adeela Suleman, in the session ‘Market as Art,’ emphasised the importance of critical evaluation of art over the monetary one. Market influencers and their effects were also explored, but without a solid conclusion being reached.

Artist Rashid Rana in conversation with Quddus Mirza spoke of the transcendent borders in art. In the case of India and Pakistan, for example, Rana stated how borders were shared both horizontally as well as vertically due to the countries’ shared history, alluding to superfluous borders within the creative sphere. Rana’s shared exhibit with Indian artist Shilpa Gupta, at the impending Venice Biennale, further points to diplomacy moving forward within this sphere. The show has been funded by a private Indian philanthropic foundation, leaving the respective governments out of the development.

In a further discussion on blurred borders across mediums and audiences, artist Naiza Khan and fashion designer Sonya Battla, in a session titled ‘Crossing Boundaries, Blurring Borders,’ spoke of their various collaborations, the most recent of which is based on Khan’s Manora project which has been translated into a collection produced by Battla.

Pointing to the successful transference of artistic expression from one medium to another, Khan talked about such projects as an extension of her practice that let one negotiate different meanings as they move through different mediums. Khan and Battla both stated how their creative expressions were influenced by the city and the country. Khan explained how, as “visual artists and creative people, everything that we produce is a reaction to the state we are living in”. By reproducing the artwork onto a different medium, the project was available to a new audience with the fluidity democratising the work of art that one could previously only engage with in a gallery.

The need for democratising creative works was further emphasised by Mirza, as he stressed the fluidity between different forms of art, pointing not only to the versatility and creativity of the artist, but also to the myriad ways in which a creative individual can appeal to a wider audience. He shunned being labelled as belonging to a specific creative medium, instead refreshingly speaking of how artists should welcome the opportunity to be able to appeal to and resonate with a large number of people across all walks of life. Citing the example of experimenting between art and writing, he welcomed the experience of his written work being available in national newspapers to a wider audience.

The discussions on art emphasised appealing to a wide range of audiences, all the while calling for more government funding and support, a stronger emphasis on community learning and cultural programmes, the benefits of an arts education at an early age, and the dire need for individuals to take it upon themselves to step into the sphere of cultural learning.