– کبوترKabutar – Pigeon Cultural exchange exhibition between Turkey, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Italy, and France Curator: Mehreen Hashmi, Karachi, Pakistan. www.mehreenhashmi.com
CONCEPT Kabutar (pigeon in English) is a bird which has been used for ages as symbol or messenger of hope and peace. Pigeons has been trained as a method of communication as old as the ancient Persians who started the art of training the birds. Besides Persians, the Romans used pigeon posts to aid their military over 2000 years ago. An art collector once told me after appreciating my work “You are part of our home, we all know you through your piece, you are there’; when artists send their work to other territories mainly beyond boundaries, they send a piece of themselves. Cultural exchange programs are mostly promotion of diversity and communication between different nations. Artists’ work differs from different localities and regions, the way we are experiencing due to certain circumstances, there is something or the other in every society. It will be an execution of similar context in multicultural approaches; so, we are riding in more or less similar boat but in different oceans, hence every ocean has its serenity and storms.
SPECIFICATION OF ARTWORK Every artist can display one to two pieces in any medium as long as it’s sustainable. Artwork produced must be easy to transport in terms of installation, fragility and size as it’s a travelling exhibition. Artworks must be produced exclusively for the show considering the concept. Mediums of executions can be painting, sculpture, installation, video installation or performance etc. The title ‘Pigeon’ here is a metaphor related with peace, visual cultures, and cultural exchange. Artists can execute work in context of its direct depiction, sarcasm or dialogues in visual. Artwork must not contain profanity and religious or political offense.
Mehreen Hashmi - Kabutar
EXPECTED PLAN For execution of this show, artists from all five countries will be invited to showcase their work during this travelling exhibition. All five embassies have been approached in regards of inviting artists of their respective countries. Exhibitions will be held at galleries at different cities in all the countries. First show can be held in Pakistan and later it can travel to all five countries. Artists from Italy, France, Turkey, the Netherlands and France will be invited to visit Pakistan so as Pakistani artists to the west. The year of 2019 has been planned for the execution of Kabutar. Venues for the display in each country will be finalized with respected contacts in these countries.
ABOUT THE CURATOR Mehreen Hashmi is an independent visual artist and curator from Pakistan. Born and raised in Karachi, she has graduated in Bachelor's in Fine Arts from Indus Valley School of art and architecture in 2009. Her work has been displayed in local galleries as well as internationally including Australia, London, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. She has worked with several renowned organizations including KMC, Culture and Tourism Department, Government of Sindh, Alliance Francaise de Karachi. She is also the curator of first ever art summit of Pakistan, Karachi Art Summit '17. She is participating in Chittagong Biennale, Bangladesh in 2019 as a visual artist. www.mehreenhashmi.com
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS Following artists has been selected from related countries; Italy Alberto Magrin (Sculptor) Angela Vinci (Painter) Cristiana De Marchi (Painter) Pakistan Farrukh Shahab (Painter) Aqeel Solangi(Painter) Hina Tabassum (Sculptor/miniature artist) The Netherlands Daniel Ploeger (new media artist/ performance artist) Hans Overvliet (interdisciplinary artist) Jorie Kerottier (interdisciplinary artist)
France Fredrick Develay (interdisciplinary artist) Denise Frechet (Sculptor) Turkey Eda Emirdag (interdisciplinary artist) Cansu Eragin(Performance artist) Sezen Tonguz (Performance artist)
SUPPORTERS
Ms.Anna Ruffino – Counsel General, Consulate of Italy, Karachi.
Mrs. Ardi Stoiosbraken – Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Islamabad.
Mr.Jeroen Van Paassen – Curator and Founder at the Stichting White Cube , an art organization from the Netherlands.
Alliance Francaise de Karachi , Karachi, Pakistan
Müge Olacak, Founding director at Atelier Muse, art residency program in Turkey.