No doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the economy and social gatherings of mankind all around the earth but the Global health crisis leading towards the trade of art scenes in Pakistan since the outbreak of coronavirus.
In the time of COVID-19, some Youngblood of National College of Arts from Lahore took the initiative to support the artist community all around the globe through presenting the concept of “ART INFLUX” by E-EXHIBITIONS which aims to restore confidence in artist to dwell into their art practices and to stay connected with the art lovers and art collectors on the art scene.
There are four curators: Hira Siddiqui, Mahaa Ashraf, Robella Ahmad and Umnah Laraib behind the thought process of a grand online art exhibition which could not be possible to conduct without the collaboration of media partners such as Pakistan Art Forum, For Art Sake, Art Circle, 99Films, Media360, and Overview Life Style. The E-Exhibition consists upon 128 artists and each one of them has blown away their minds in isolation to explore the more possibilities in the nature of artworks with different medium such as painting, sculpture, video art and other applied art forms that are equally proficient step to create a visionary impact for the public, art lovers and art collectors through digital media. The participants of E-Exhibition will showcase their artworks digitally on the social media platforms of “ART INFLUX” founders, collaborators, and media partners from 1st June onwards.
The E-Exhibition has given chance to creative minds from all around the world in which there is no restriction of age, medium, and theme of artworks and every individual artist has produced freedom of expression in isolation that can be seen in their original artworks in the time of coronavirus. Name of artists shortlisted by E-Exhibition for “ART INFLUX” are Abdul Mannan, Abdur Rehman Baba, Adnan Khan, Afsah Ahmed ,Ahsan Baloch, Ahsen Asif, Aiman Jamil, Ali Hassan Awan, Aliya Faizi, Amar Zaib Khan, Amna Walayat, Anam Ilyas, Anam Mukhtar, Anum Shaheen, Anoosh Qainan, Arzoo Azad, Asghar Ali, Asma Naghman, Asma Nawab, Ayisha Sheikh,Beenish Khan, Bisma Hussain, Buland Iqbal, Danish Akhtarkhattak, Camille Escudero, Derya Avici, Fahima Bashir, Faizagelani, Faiza Shaikh, Faiza Taufique, Fakiha Khan, Farah Bilal,Farah Javed, Fariha Naseem, Farkhanda Ashraf Khilji, Farrukhadnan, Fasiha Irfan, Fatima Khalid, Fawad Jafri, Gul E Shazma,Gulsoom Musa, Habib Kather, Hafsa Faryalkhan, Hafsa Riaz,Hajira Ahmed, Hifza Khan, Hamid Masood, Hina Tabassum, Hira asim, Hira Siddiqui, Ibrar Hussain, Ishu Jindal, Jawaria Abbas,Kainat Hyder, Khushbakht Soomro, Kinza Arif, Kiran Khalid,Kiran Shehzadi, Lariab Ahmad, Madiha Idrees, Maham Ali Malik,Maham Siddiqui, Maham Syed, Mahwish Shaukat, Maira Khan,Mariam Ansari, Maria Baloch, Marium Maneka, Maryam Atiq,Marryam Batool, Maryam Javaid, Maryam Saif, Mashal Ahmed,Moazzma Majeed, Muberra Bulbul, Muhammad Rajab, Muneebali, Murk Malik, Nageen Yousaf Chaudhry, Nahel Fatima,Naheed Fakhar, Najwa Aziz, Nashra Saleem, Nazia Akram,Nimrah Khatana, Nina Nenadovic, Noor Ul Ain, Petra Fenjin,Rabia Pirzada, Rakesh Bani, Raza Bukhari, Remal Arif, Rida Basitkhan, Robella Ahmad, Saadia Faiz, Saadia Shahid, Saif Alisiddiqui, Salman Aslam, Salman Qamar, Samara Shahid, Samia Aslam, Samina Nasir, Sara Abbas, Sara Akram, Sara Riaz Khan, Sarosh Tariq, Saqib Akhtar, Shameen Arshad, Shazia Munir,Syeda Aatika Fatima, Shamsul Arfeen Hashmi, Sidrat Ulmunteha, Shuja Ul Haq, Sinasi Gunes, Sojung Kim, Tayyaba rasheed, Tehreem Saleem, Tshepo Moloi, Umnah Laraib, Uzair shah, Uzma Memon, Vladimir Temkov, Wania Sheikh, Zafar iqbal, Zainab Aamir, Zubia Ijaz, Zainab Mehmood, Zarmeena Aslam.
All professional and young emerging artists have put together on one platform by E-EXHIBITIONS which made easy access to social media and virtual art galleries to engage interested art collectors and art buyers in the sale and purchase of paintings and Art facts.
In this pandemic almost many employees of corporate sectors may have lost their jobs temporarily or permanently and same case with the painters, sculptors, and ceramist who earn to feed their families from the selling of their artworks and By march 2020 all the cultural events, exhibitions of artworks, from galleries and museums was announced canceled due to coronavirus and in response it is a dire need of this crucial time to rejuvenate the power of artist through digital platforms, to sustain the development of artistic genre with minimal resources just like these four young girls who put utmost efforts to make this event possible.
In the present situation use of internet playing an integral part for all the people around the globe to connect with each other in many businesses but the only upheaval for art scene is lie in e-based trading which needs to be uplift by the Government for the convenience of art buyers by following all the safety measures and in this way, we could be able to save the value of an artist in our country from further any financial and economic crisis.
The writer is a professional Art Educator and can be reached at arteducatorridafatima@gmail.com
