Built in the early 60s, the Abasin Arts Council (AAC) used to be the patron of arts in Peshawar. It was the place where young people were educated in visual arts, performing arts and music and where exhibitions were also held. And this was the only place where young artists got a chance to learn from their seniors in their respective fields and promoted their skills.

Till the late 90s, the arts council received regular funding but gradually the public lost interest and training classes were also closed down. And today, the situation is so dismal that there is no art gallery in Peshawar where senior and young artists can display their artworks and preserve their masterpieces.

Considering the fact that throughout Pakistan, the art scene has seen a boom in the recent years with around a dozen galleries in the capital alone, this is an unacceptable situation in Khyber Pakhtunwa. And not only does it represent a loss in terms of developing art, it is also a disservice to the artists of the province.

Senior artists lament that they have no forum to share their works, and give their works the display they deserve. It also makes it much harder for them to find buyers in a time when Pakistani artists are easily selling art pieces for Rs100,000 each or more.

Noted artist Arbab Mohammad Sardar, who has specialised from Italy in sculpture, decorative art and architecture, said: “Having an art gallery in Peshawar is a must. We have been crying for it since very long. At an art gallery, senior and junior artists get the chance to come together and benefit from each other. Young people draw inspiration from public art display while potential art buyers also explore the art being created at a place, but none of this is possible without an art gallery.”

Arbab has created around 500 pieces of art filling his house. Rooms are filled with his artworks hanging the red walls and can be seen stacked on the floor making his residence seem like a very full private art gallery.

“This is not how they should be displayed but I just don’t have any more room,” explained Arbab pointing towards his precious art pieces spread all over. He had earlier announced that he would gift his art pieces to the government if it set up an art gallery but his offer fell on deaf ears and he withdrew it later out of disappointment.

The case of another senior creative artist Nasir Mohmand is no different. He too has stuffed his rare 300 art pieces in a room of his house at Hayatabad. “My heart skips a beat every time my children move around because I fear they might damage the art,” he said, adding that a private gallery run by the late Imtiaz Ahmed (also a renowned artist) provided some relief but that too has closed now.

It must be noted that no big city has an art gallery in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite the fact that there are artists who enjoy national as well as international repute.

Even colleges and universities have not been able to fill the void, and acutely feel the absence of one. The department of Art and Design, University of Peshawar, currently has no place for where students could display their thesis works.

“After examination, our students take their creative artworks to their homes for display as we don’t have space for them. On June 15, our students are expected to present theses but we don’t have even an exhibition hall for it,” Professor Sher Ali, a senior teacher, lamented.

Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that a lack of an art gallery leaves many great artists in anonymity. There are more than 50 reputed artists in KP but people do not even recognise their names. And it is this loss that is the most tragic.

Artists provide the most intimate window into a society and a culture, and this neglect to provide a forum for people to access this window is almost criminal.

A couple of years ago, Da Ghani Derai (Ghani Khan’s Archive) in Charsadda asked the late and legendary Ghani Khan’s family to donate his art to them. A source privy to late Ghani Khan’s family told Dawn that the family of the great poet and artist had made the right decision by refusing because it had no art gallery and they were afraid that officials concerned would distribute the original art pieces among themselves and put only replicas on display.

“The Da Ghani Derai was set up in 2002 at a cost of Rs18 million but flashfloods in 2010 and KP government’s apathy together turned it into a complete ruin.  Thankfully, we managed to preserve the 200 rare art pieces of Ghani Khan Baba,” explained the source.

As the KP government invests in education and fighting militancy, it should not neglect the arts. Arts are what shape the culture of any place, and can be an important tool for providing an outlet and relief for the people of KP to deal with its difficult times.