News

Ayesha Siddiqui

15/08/2020

Ayesha Siddiqui is a significant young contemporary Pakistani Painter. She has a doctorate in Fine Arts (Studio Practice) from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. In Pakistan she is the youngest artist with a Studio Practice doctoral degree in Fine Arts. She is a Punjab University Gold Medallist in M.A Fine Arts and is also a Gold Medallist in Master of Computer Science from The National College, Lahore (University of South Asia). Her studio based research visually investigates simple geometric forms and their evolution in Western and Pakistani art practices. During her distinguished academic career she received six gold medals. Siddiqui has the honour of representing Pakistan in the 13th and 14th Asian art Biennale (2008 and 2010 respectively) in Dhaka Bangladesh and in the 3rd and 4th Asian Art Expo in Beijing, China, 2011 and 2012. She has fourteen solo shows of paintings and drawings to her credit and has participated in numerous group shows in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, China and U.K. Her paintings are included in many important public, corporate and private collections in many countries. She has read papers at international seminars and has published articles on the contemporary painting trends in Pakistan, in various magazines and journals of repute. Currently she is preparing for her fifteenth solo show of paintings and is working on her book “Picture Wall of the Lahore Fort”.  … Read More

Ali Abbas

15/08/2020

The Pakistan civil award Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (award of excellence) owning to outstanding performance in the field of art. It is honor for Pakistan that he received Gold medal from Spain. Moreover, he received many more  awards such as watercolor master award from U.K, Best Demos award from Italy, watercolor master award from Hong Kong, world watercolor master award from Thailand, National assemble award from Islamabad, 9th Tehzeez foundation award from Pakistan. He also awarded from Czech Republic, Malaysia, Serbia, Bulgaria,India,China, etc. First time in Pakistan he was the one who curated the international watercolor  biennale “Pearls of Peace” season- I and II in 2016-18. He also printed thirteen Watercolor Books. Ali Abbas is a leading Master in watercolour. He has taken part in the juries, workshops and also live demonstration in various countries and exhibited his work in several group and solo exhibitions on national and international levels. Ali Abbas was being given the title by Prof: Dr, Ejaz Anwar of Punjab university and national college of art, says: you are Abdul Rehman Chugtai and Ustad Allah bux of present era,the  consulate journal of Holland, Lahore says: your drawing skills resemble to Rembrandt Van Rijn (Dutch old master of 16th century) also many American senior watercolorist say: You are rebirth of John Singer Sargent (Famous American Painter). His work has been subjected in many national and international songs. Abbas’s sculptural monuments installed on public places in Hyderabad are now been become as identity of this city. During his practical life as a visual artist he became passionate of painting using watercolor as a medium. The passion led him to work day and night and invent new techniques in the medium. He is a legendary artist who works on Thar desert and Sufisim, he is the first Pakistani who expressed the sufi life style of Sindh.  He has experienced his teaching profession since last 30 years and he is currently working as a senior faculty member in fine arts department, Center of Excellence in art&design, MUET, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan.  … Read More

A. S. Rind

15/08/2020

A. S Rind was born in 1960 in Rahim Yar Khan, a town in the South of Punjab, Pakistan. He acquired his formal education in Art from the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts in Karachi. The inspirations that Rind has drawn from the rich culture and heritage of his hometown are creatively incorporated in his paintings. With oil on canvas being his major technique, Rind’s paintings are an abstract but a meaningful play of lines and colors. His work revolves around various moods of traditional and modern women in Pakistan. He depicts different moods of a feminine spirit with commendable craftsmanship and intricacy. Use of a blend of varying colors in harmonious tones in the background is Rind’s signature style.  … Read More

A. Q. ARIF

15/08/2020

I paint the glories of nature and magnificence of God. I believe that there is nothing unnatural on this earth. Through my work, I need people to understand a simple fact that we all need to appreciate the beauty and harmony given to us by God. Beauty is not only in vibrant colors and pretty things like flowers, peacocks and angelic creatures; it lies in the hands of man and his heart. I have chosen architecture as my point of interest and I have shown the complexities as well as its simplicity side by side to compliment each other. I usually choose minimum colors and work in their tones, so that the attention of the viewer does not divert from my objective. I choose to use earthy tones and the various shades of the night sky because to me they depict our soil. So whether it my stretch from red fort in Agra to the glorious landscape in Jhelum to our very heart of the Mughul empire in shahi qila Lahore there are no boundaries. My choice of structures usually limit to famous buildings from the Mughal Empire, shrines of famous aulia or even newer structures that show inspiration from the Mughal time period. Seeing my work the viewer undergoes a very serene and harmonious sense, due to its blissful equilibrium where time just stands still and one gets a moment to inhale the view and its tranquility.  … Read More

Shan Amrohvi Exhibition

01/04/2014

An exhibition of Shan Raza Amrovhi opened to a large number of  keen and knowledgeable art lovers at the ARTCITI gallery in Karachi on January 19, 2014. The exhibition will be open until January 28, 2014. Shan's energetic, powerful and vivid works depicting horses, human figures and buildings were a hit with collectors who flocked into the gallery to purchase some of his new works.                                                     The event was attended by connoisseurs of art, well-known media personalities, and a large number of journalists including Mahnoor Baluch. Arif Ansari, Jawed Qamar, Nadeem Suberi and Mujahid Barelvi.          … Read More

The world is our oyster: Pakistani art goes global

01/04/2014

  With the rich art culture originating in the Subcontinent since the aesthetic Mughal era, Pakistan is home to few of the finest painters and artists around the world. However, these artists are at a loss of a platform to showcase their talent globally. Art legends, such as Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Sadequain, Gulgee and Jamil Naqsh have proved their mettle locally, but are not offered a platform for their works to attain global recognition. To address this gap, the Artciti brings the first-of-its-kind virtual art gallery and auction centre for Pakistani art. The official launch of the website was held with aesthetically pleasing ambience at Mohatta Palace on Sunday evening. Though the invited guests arrived at the venue on time the session started an hour-and-a-half behind the scheduled time. “Every exhibition that we hold and every painting that we have in the art store will be available to the whole world without the physical constraints of visiting a gallery,” said Amir Shahzad, a founding member of Artciti. That does not mean, however, that the art gallery does not exist physically. The online presence makes this initiative stand out from the others, added Shahzad.  The virtual art gallery, www.artciti.com, at present offers over 240 works of around 44 artists, including Sadequain and Iqbal Hussain. For Shahzad, the Pakistani maestros hold their own place in the world of canvas, and are acknowledged and appreciated across the globe. Meanwhile, the pool of Pakistani artists is constantly updated by fresh blood having a signature style. “This young talent has immense capability to contribute to the world of art, but only a few receive the opportunity to gain international exposure,” he added. “This platform will draw attention to the high quality art produced by Pakistani artists, and will eventually help in the realisation of their high-class work.” Drawing a comparison between the markets for the works of artists from the Subcontinent, Shahzad said that the paintings of the Pakistani artists are usually available at a fraction of prices compared to what their Indian counterparts receive for their works. “The art from India is much sought after by art lovers because of an established market for their works that provide them with the right exposure.” He hoped that the initiative will provide a level playing field for Pakistani artists to compete with their international counterparts. The platform will also help in creating a secondary market where art lovers and collectors can trade their portfolios. It can also be used to auction pieces, collections and antique paintings. Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2014.  … Read More

Artciti Launch Event

01/04/2014

Exhibition of paintings by the renowned artists of past and present at the art galleries in Karachi has now become a norm and this is a healthy sign for our young generation. All the gallery's curators and owners are making efforts to provide ground to the pioneers of the modern art along with new generation of contemporary artists to show their works to the art hungry Karachiites. Recently a conspicuous exhibition of paintings by the renowned masters, contemporary and emerging artists at the opening of the Artciti Gallery at the lush green gardens of Mohatta Palace Museum is a step further in introducing the art lovers of the world to the art activities of Pakistani artists. It is a good gesture to initiate a long journey of exhibitions. Catering to the creativity from all spheres of art Artciti Gallery is Pakistan's first fully functioning virtual art gallery and auction house aiming to promote traditional and contemporary art by displaying the soulful and philosophical works of old masters as well as new painters. The renowned painters who are known for their works and the paintings of young upcoming artists done in many different mediums are exhibited. There was a display of a variety of paintings in different mediums and various moods of artworks exuding a refreshing energy at the group exhibition on the occasion. The painting's techniques used by the artists were oils, pastel, acrylics, watercolours, charcoal, pen drawings and many more on canvas, paper and wasli. Many of the works were in mixed media and collage. Among the numerous Pakistani old masters Gulgee, Sadequain, Iqbal Mehdi, Jamil Naqsh, Iqbal Hussain, Mashkoor Raza, Tassaduq Sohail and many more were presented at the exhibition, to name a few - A Q Arif, Arif Ansari, Nisar Ahmed, Farrukh Shahab, Shan Amrohvi, S M Naqvi, Jawaid Qamar, Wasi Haider, Mehtab Ali, Khusro Sabzwari, Akram Spaul, Hamid Alavi, Shanzay Sabzwari, Mussarat Arif, S A Noory, Sarfraz Musawir, Ali Abbas, Maqbool Ahmed, Tayaba Aziz, Zohaib Ahmed, M A Bukhari, Rashid Ali, A S Rind and Babar Mughal. The artists skilfully blend colours, patterns and motifs into a unified statement creating an ambience of serenity and balance. The rich colour palette and use of mixed media and transfer techniques help create brilliant effects making the works aesthetically pleasing. The opening exhibition focused on works of highly acclaimed artists along with new and upcoming artists alike. The gallery showcases both modern and contemporary paintings, catering to the need of art lovers. Each piece seemed to have multi-dimension and deep meaning. Artciti Gallery is trying to fulfil the need to support the modern art practitioners along with new generation of contemporary artists in showing their artworks to the art enthusiasts' world over. As the art gallery is a virtual gallery the artworks get global exposure and thus ultimately global recognition. Therefore, our artists will get international name and fame and Pakistani art will reach to the rest of the world. By creating a portal for artists of all genres to showcase their work Artciti Gallery will help promote our art to new places where it haven't reached yet. The Artciti Gallery received a warm welcome from the art lovers. It is a new addition to the country's art scene. The guests find the exhibition and the gallery persuasive.  … Read More