ISLAMABAD: Re-establishing the eternal bond between man and nature, Islamabad Art Festival 2019 brings to art lovers one of the biggest shows that open Monday.

Paintings, installation art, sculptures and photographs on display are so many that they have taken up 13 out of the 14 large halls of Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). The works that could not be fit into the PNCA have been accommodated in the gallery of Sir Syed Memorial Building.

Some 600 artists, including those from 34 countries, have contributed miniatures, abstract art, landscapes, portraits and figurative works, using drawing as a medium of expression to elaborate on the bond between man and nature.

On the day of the preview on Sunday night, organisers said drawing had been a fundamental tool for man to communicate, meditate, explore and to enjoy.

The curated show aims to foster reflection and open a dialogue where artists seek to rethink and re-assess human relationship with nature and surrounding entities.

In the past few decades, however, due to the fast moving pace of life, accelerated urbanisation, technological advancement and industrialisation, the relationship seems to have been considerably dented.

PNCA said the works on display were responses of the artists towards their surroundings and their closeness with environment, developing into a strong bond which they materialised into avid artistic expressions. A group of artists has been selected for the show on the basis of their individual creative expressions for collectively imagining a sustained and harmonious future.Led by PNCA Director General Jamal Shah, who is also president and chief curator IAF-19, the show will be hosted in several locations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including museums, art galleries, educational institutes and public parks.

The festival will continue till Nov 30. The thematic focus of IAF-19 is a ‘Dialogue between tradition and modernity’.

The organisers claimed that it was for the first time that expression of almost all forms of art forms would be showcased together.

Painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, textile design, dance, music, film, puppet shows, theatre, fashion design and performing arts from across the world will be available to satisfy the cultural aesthetic of people in general.

Simultaneously, literature from different lands is also a key focus of the festival. An international literary conference is being held in the ambit of the festival.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2019