Jaipur Literature Festival - Contemporary Pakistani Art

Besides being an accomplished painter, Salima Hashmi taught at Pakistan’s prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) for about thirty years and served as the Principal of NCA for four years. In 1999, Salima Hashmi received Pakistan’s Pride of Performance award for Art Education. Today she is the Dean of School of Visual Arts at the newly established Beaconhouse National University in Lahore and she also runs her own art gallery featuring works of young artists. Salima Hashmi has also been active in the human rights movement since the early 80s when she was one of the founding members of Women’s Action Forum, and a Council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. She also served as Minister of Health, Population Welfare, Women Development, Youth Affairs, Sports, Archeology & Tourism Department during the interim Government of Punjab in 2013.

Dr. Alka Pande is an art critic, cultural theorist, teacher, curator, and a prolific writer. After a PhD from Panjab University, she was recipient of the Charles Wallace Award in 1999-2000 and completed her post-doctoral studies in critical art theory from Goldsmith College, University of London. Responsible for curating numerous significant exhibitions in India and abroad, and giving a name to some of the most upcoming and influential artists, Dr Alka Pande is currently engrossed as the Curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre. She has authored several well-acclaimed books, with a strong focus on Indian aesthetics and Ancient Indian erotic literature and art. Shringara- the many faces of Indian beauty (Rupa, 2011), Kama Sutra- The Quest for Love (Brijbasi, 2008), Ardhanarishvara the Androgyne (Rupa, 2005) andIndian Erotic Art (Roli Books, 2002) figure amongst her publications. In December 2006, she was made “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” – Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters – an award bequeathed by the French government to recognise significant contributions in the fields of art and literature.

Kamila Shamsie is the author of 6 novels, most recently ‘A God in Every Stone’. She was on Granta’s 2013 list of ‘Best of Young British Novelists’ She grew up in Karachi, and now lives in London. Her first novel, In the City by the Sea, was shortlisted for the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and her second, Salt and Saffron, won her a place on Orange's list of '21 Writers for the 21st Century'. In 1999 Kamila received the Prime Minister's Award for Literature in Pakistan. Her third novel, Kartography (2004), explores the strained relationship between soulmates Karim and Raheen, set against a backdrop of ethnic violence. Kamila Shamsie lives in London and Karachi. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Hamilton College in Clinton New York, where she has also taught Creative Writing, and a MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She also writes for The Guardian, The New Statesman, Index on Censorship and Prospect magazine, and broadcasts on radio.