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 Eminent
art educator Salima Hashmi captivated audiences with her discourse
on the contribution of women in contemporary art at the Special
Lecture Series at Aga Khan University on April 13. Addressing a
well attended event, Salima discussed women's place in modern history
and its reflection in the works of art created by women as a social
study in itself.
Recounting the beginnings of art education in Pakistan, she narrated
how art was considered a peripheral activity secondary in nature
to physical sciences and therefore was left for women. Her discussion
of the changes in the art vocabulary of the women highlighted the
relation between the stimuli provided by the socio political environment
of the '80s' and the way women artistes chose to react. She elaborated
upon how the imposition of the "chadar' or the veil altered the
course of expression for many women artistes in different genres.
She showed to the audience the works of leading women artistes
from Pakistan who especially focused on highlighting the struggle
of women in the country. Her selection featured Amrita Shergill,
Anna Molka Ahmed, Zubeida Agha, Mehar Afroz, Durriya Kazi, Naazish
Ataullah, Aisha Khalid, Sumayya Durrani, Naiza Khan, Shahzia Sikander
among others.
Professor Salima Hashmi is a painter, art educationist, writer
and curator. She was educated at the National College of Arts (NCA),
Lahore, the Bath Academy of Art, UK, and the Rhode Island School
of Design, USA. She taught for 30 years at NCA, Pakistan's premier
art institution, and retired as its Principal. She has exhibited
her own work, travelled and lectured extensively all over the world,
and has curated over a dozen international art shows in the UK,
Europe, the USA, Australia, Japan and India. She is also a recipient
of The President's Award for Pride of Performance, Pakistan. Presently,
she is the Dean, School of Visual Arts at the newly established
Beaconhouse National University in Lahore and also runs her own
art gallery featuring works of young artists.
Earlier, AKU President, Mr Shamsh-Kassim Lakha welcomed the distinguished
speaker and said that "Today, when the world seems to be ever more
narrowing its vision and its sense of tolerance, we are fortunate
to have someone like Salima, who lives and promotes inclusiveness
through her art and her activities in helping resolve social issues."
AKU's Special Lecture Series programme, which started six years
ago, has so far organised lectures by prestigious speakers such
as His Royal Highness Prince Hasan of Jordan; the historian Professor
Stanley Wolpert; Zia Mohyeddine; Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan, former foreign
minister of Pakistan and the founding Chairman of AKU Board of Trustees;
Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Maliha Lodhi; and Dr
Carl Amrhein, Provost and Vice President Academics, University of
Alberta, Canada.
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