Karachi gallery founder says contemporary art lacks patrons — Dawn

Sameera Raja, founder of Karachi's Canvas Art Gallery, said that Pakistan has enough talented artists, but lacks art awareness and patronage support for contemporary artists. She said this on the All Things Money podcast, reports Dawn.

Stereotypes about art

According to Raja, perceptions of art in Pakistan have largely remained unchanged, although art has changed significantly around the world in the 21st century. She noted that some members of the Pakistani diaspora also seek in art images of the country they left many years ago: street scenes, rickshaws and wires.

Raja linked this perception to the desire to preserve or affirm one's Pakistani identity. In her view, people rarely see contemporary art in public spaces and therefore do not have sufficient access to it or knowledge about it.

Education and support for art

The gallery founder also drew attention to the approach to education: schools place considerable emphasis on science and mathematics, while art is regarded as a secondary subject. At the same time, she said, it is important for people's physical and mental well-being.

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Raja noted that Karachi, the country's largest urban center, has no art museum. In her opinion, because of this, even educated segments of the population are insufficiently familiar with the art scene.

She believes that raising awareness about art should primarily be the responsibility of industry professionals rather than bureaucrats. In her view, this could help establish cooperation between the public and private sectors to support the cultural sphere.

Raja said that the government of a developing country has more urgent social tasks, so its role may lie in facilitating the process and working with school curricula. She named India and Bangladesh as examples of countries where private foundations and trusts support the development of art.