ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Art Festival (IAF) opened with a series of enchanting music and dance performances at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Monday.

Artists from more than 30 countries and all over Pakistan have converged on the capital to participate in the festival, which will run for 12 days. The event is the first of its kind, organised by a consortium of art institutions and galleries under the theme ‘Dialogue between Tradition and Modernity’.

Internationally acclaimed dancers from Pakistan, including Amna Mawaz, Asfandyar Khattak and Iftikhar Masih, who learned classical kathak dancing from the renowned kathak dancer Indu Mitha, performed at the festival.

Ms Mawaz performed to Passion of Rumi, sung by Iranian singer Shahram Nazeri and composed by Hafez Nazeri.

The San Francisco-based internationally known kathak dancer, choreographer, instructor and founder of the dance and culture organisation Noorani Dance presented an evocative dance on Raaga Hemant that captivated the audience.

Mr Khattak enthralled the audience with a performance of Qatghani Anim, from the greater Balkh area of Afghanistan, while Mr Masih performed a fusion of local and Indonesian dances accompanied by other performers.

A Chinese group called WE from the Xian Polytechnic Institute also performed dances.

IAF president and curator Jamal Shah spoke about the significance of the event in his opening remarks.

He said a city’s identity is not recognised by tall concrete structures but its art and culture.

“We live on a land that was the cradle of ancient civilisations and being one of the custodians of this cultural heritage gives me a sense of pride. The best way to celebrate it is artistic expression. Art and culture have the capacity and capability to engage an individual with his or her surroundings in a creative and critical manner, making you an informed, knowledgeable person,” he said.

He said the festival aimed to bring young people closer to international talent and creativity and to harness their talent and energy for creative activities.

The festival is very inclusive in the sense that it provides opportunity to all forms and expression of art – painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, textile and fashion design, dance, music, film, puppetry, theatre, and performing arts – and artists of significance from all over Pakistan and the world to interact, share their experiences and learn from each other, he said.

More than 230 participants from 34 countries are participating in events all over Islamabad and Rawalpindi, at museums, art galleries, educational institutions and public parks.

Art exhibitions

Another important segment of the festival is art exhibition featuring the work of artists from all over the country as well as Iran and China, in the halls of the National Art Gallery, Tanzara Gallery and Sir Syed Memorial Hall.

A show featuring noted Iranian calligrapher Mohammad Hassan Daneshgard Nejad and miniature paintings by Zahra Jan Ghurbani was also a major attraction.

In addition, seven Iranian films will be screened and a seven-member musical ensemble will perform at the festival.

The Dr Arjuman Faisal Painting Award 2019 at Gallery6 also pulled a large crowd. Syeda Unab Sumble won this year’s award for her painting of a man in Chinchi.

Entrepreneur and art collector Atif Khan, who was the chief guest, said he wanted to set up an art incubation centre in collaboration with Gallery6 to promote young artists.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2019