KARACHI: The city’s pre-independent past with reference to the architectural distinctness has in recent time attracted the attention of the artist community. There’s a reason for it: the buildings constructed in colonial times have unmatched aesthetic grace, and given the current shabby infrastructural condition of the metropolis, reflecting on it becomes all the more poignant and significant.

A one-day exhibition of watercolour paintings on Sunday evening titled Celebrating the Heritage of Karachi — Volume III by Hamir Soomro garnered a great deal of interest of art lovers and the media.

The show has nearly six dozen striking works of art in which some of the most prominent as well as not-so-renowned works of stone-made architecture of the Sindh capital were on display. Among the well-known ones there were St Patrick’s Church and Eduljee Dinshaw Dispensary. It is evident from the works that the artist has a profound love for the city’s glorious past because he seems to have made them with soulfulness. The soft colours and in some cases hazy texture of the paintings lend a symbolic meaning to the whole exercise.

Introducing Mr Soomro on the occasion, Arts Council President Ahmed Shah said the artist has worked a lot on the subject or heritage.

Mr Soomro in his speech said he’s a keen observer of heritage. He has seen a lot of buildings disappear and thought one of the ways to preserve them was to paint them. “Gradually these buildings are vanishing. [Painting them] will make people realise how beautiful these structures are and we should value them. People don’t have awareness about them. These are the kinds of buildings that today no one can make. There’s money to be spent but no understanding of their importance. Karachi is a beautiful city. If someone takes its ownership, it will become more beautiful.”

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2026