Project : National Art Gallery
Location: F-5/1, Opposite Pakistan Telecom Authority
Client : Pakistan National Councik of Arts (PNCA)
Architects : Sohail & Pasha, Architect & Planning Consultants
Contractor : Builders Associates


http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f298/techno-architect2/Islamabad%20UC/181.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f298/techno-architect2/Islamabad%20UC/182.jpg

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http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f298/techno-architect2/Islamabad%20UC/185.jpg

Pix JAN 2006

some thing like this needs to be made in lahore is well, the art scene there is very rich.

Islamabad needs more recreational facilities to develop and improve the existing social life. This project will be a step towards that development.
I dont have the rendering rite now.

Here is an aerial View of the Gallery.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f298/techno-architect2/Islamabad%20UC/NationalArtGallery.jpg

Salam,

This is a very nice project. I like it.

Its pretty big too....even though from the picture on the board, it looked small. However, from actual construction pics, it seems like a big project. I hope interior is done nicely too.

Peace.

nice project

some thing like this needs to be made in lahore is well, the art scene there is very rich.

Lahore has one... Alhamra on Mall Road.

pretty unimaginative design for an art gallery.

could have drawn from our own history.

I must say this does indeed look like a rather uninspired design.

Also one question: Are modern construction techniques not available in Pakistan? Must we really continue to do the work like this where everything is strewn all about the construction site?

where is the art? where is the imagination? I know there are people innovating in Pakistan. Where are they?

^^^^
They are here! Their hands tied by clients develpers technology available!

This building has now opened its doors to the public, and for the time being, admission is free.

By ALISA TANG, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 28, 1:51 PM ET



ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's painstakingly built National Art Gallery has overcome decades of political turbulence to become an eye-catching symbol of modernity and creativity in a nation more often associated with Islamic conservatism.

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The four-story gallery opened to the public on Tuesday with an expansive exhibit of 600 works, from Persian-style miniature paintings with a modern twist to large-scale sculpture created specially for the museum.

Pakistan has long had a vibrant if small art scene, but the gallery took more than a quarter-century from conception to completion due mainly to the changing priorities of a series of military leaders and short-lived elected governments.

"It's a wonderful feeling to have a home for all the work — a place to house the work of three generations of artists," said Naiza Khan, a curator of the inaugural show and an artist whose female metal body armor is on display.

Featuring work from 126 Pakistani artists, some of the pieces in the "Moving Ahead" show have a distinctively South Asian or Islamic flavor: Arabic calligraphy; a painting with Bollywood actors; a throne made of white plastic ablution buckets that Muslims use to wash themselves before prayer.

The works are owned by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts or on loan from private collectors.

One miniature painting by Waseem Ahmed, "Burqa," transforms a classical European odalisque into a classical Persian form. The reclining Venus is draped in a gauzy, transparent burqa — an all-covering Islamic veil — and gazes into a mirror that reflects apples, a Christian symbol of temptation.

One of the 132,000-square-foot gallery's two grand halls holds several sculptures, including a creation from artist Khalil Chishtee. The piece, which uses white plastic bags, shows a life-size woman walking a tightrope, a man below turning his head up toward her, apparently held in position by a thread tugging his nose skyward. The tightrope is the braided hair of an elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair.

"There's a lot of stuff that you wouldn't expect to be ... in a museum in Pakistan," said Sana Raza, a 27-year-old consultant from Karachi who visited the gallery on opening day. She gestured toward sculptures criticizing society and the political system and said, "You would expect censorship ... more toned down stuff, but they've been pretty open about open expression."

The Ministry of Culture promised there would be no censorship, said Salima Hashmi, one of the curators and an art historian. Curators were told to exercise their own judgment so as not to offend anyone. Showing figurative work or nudes "would be a problem in certain venues in Pakistan that are more conservative," Hashmi said.

The museum's interior space is white with warm accents, such as a brick-paved ramp leading to the mezzanine and a few areas with wood detailing on the ceiling. An auditorium and a rooftop courtyard are surrounded by delicate arches.

The exterior is made almost entirely of brick — a rare choice in an era of new museums around the world constructed with large concrete or stone slabs. "Brick has a humility. It has a scale that is so intimate," said architect Naeem Pasha, who won the first competition in architect selection in 1981.

A sentry of seven large black statues of burqa-clad figures, haunting and anonymous, stands outside the gallery entrance.

Some spaces, such as the room displaying the calligraphy, are one-story high, while others are two stories high or even larger, including a room that can be viewed from two little balconies on the second floor to give the visitor a different perspective.

On Tuesday, the room of miniatures was leaking a murky gray water through the ceiling, and many of the works had to be removed from the walls to protect them. Jamal Shah, executive director of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, called the leaking "teething" problems that were being addressed.

Pasha won the first competition to choose an architect in 1981, but the project had many delays often because of the frequent changes of government. The foundation stone was laid in March 1996, but funding was diverted for a convention center, he said. When they finally got started, some officials wanted to demolish the unfinished structure, worrying it could be a hiding place for snipers targeting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, whose office is nearby.

The $8.9 million gallery creates a rare cultural attraction for visitors to the grid-plan capital, which was only built in the 1960s. There are outdoor shopping centers, parks and the impressive Lok Virsa ethnographic museum, but few places to see art or theater.

The artwork at the National Gallery indicates how secular and liberal Pakistan's growing middle-class has become, despite the conservative influence of the religious establishment.

"As in many countries, you have audiences which will accept work which seems to be pushing the boundaries, and there will be other conservative audiences that will simply not accept it," said Hashmi. "It's anybody's guess as to how this will proceed."

___

On the Net:

Pakistan National Council of the Arts: http://pnca.com.pk

Can we get some pictures?

Also, why does this gallery only show 600 works of art? Just to give you a comparison:

Louvre displays 35,000+ works of art in 60,000 sqm of space
this gallery displays 600 works of art in 12,000 sqm of space

:dunno:

Can we get some pictures?

Also, why does this gallery only show 600 works of art? Just to give you a comparison:

Louvre displays 35,000+ works of art in 60,000 sqm of space
this gallery displays 600 works of art in 12,000 sqm of space

:dunno:

Musée de l'ouvre is a museum
This is an art gallery.

musée de l'ouvre has objects from all over the world, including a rich european work(mostly roman, italian, french), iranian, south asian, egyptian,arabian other african work. Some of this was gathered quite sometime ago when these countries were colonies of others and the french govt has a lot of money to buy these things since france is the worlds most visited country.

The comparison is out of question.

Some pics from the website.

http://pnca.com.pk/Images%5CNAG%5CSitePlan.jpg
site plan

http://pnca.com.pk/Images%5CNAG%5CJinnahAvenue.jpg

http://pnca.com.pk/Images%5CNAG%5CConstitutionAvenue.jpg
view from Jinnah avenue

http://pnca.com.pk/Images%5CNAG%5CAuditorium.jpg
view from auditorium

http://pnca.com.pk/Images%5CNAG%5CPNCAOffices.jpg
Offices

http://pnca.com.pk/Images%5CNAG%5CBirdEyeView.jpg
general view

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h53/kbboy101/nationalartgallery.jpg
construction update from dec. 2006

Can we get some pictures?

Also, why does this gallery only show 600 works of art? Just to give you a comparison:

Louvre displays 35,000+ works of art in 60,000 sqm of space
this gallery displays 600 works of art in 12,000 sqm of space

:dunno:

:lol:

Musée de l'ouvre is a museum
This is an art gallery.

musée de l'ouvre has objects from all over the world, including a rich european work(mostly roman, italian, french), iranian, south asian, egyptian,arabian other african work. Some of this was gathered quite sometime ago when these countries were colonies of others and the french govt has a lot of money to buy these things since france is the worlds most visited country.

The comparison is out of question.

Louvre is an art gallery(or musuem): displays paintings, photographs, sculptures, etc, basically anything related to art, and so would National Art Gallery. They are both the same, and my comparison is very valid.

Now its possible that NAG may have space to display more than 600 works, but not the money to acquire them. That would be a different story then. My objection basically was that they should have designed this building to display more than 600 works.

According to what i understood NAG is for displaying paintings and sculptures only. Louvre is a museum which displays everything including paintings, sculptures, pottery, ancient tools used by civilizations, and even complete sample of the palace of napoleon, large diamonds, etc.

Also i don't know if they are talking about its surface area of the building of louvre or display area for its so huge you cannot see every part of it in a day( 6-8 hrs) even two days would be pressing. I have visited it like 4-5 times already and there are sections i haven't covered even though i don't repeat sections.

NAG holds only 600 works of art and seems much smaller(from the pics) but who says it cant hold more than that? They is room for much more and they will be added later.

The four-storey gallery opened to the public Tuesday with an expansive exhibit of 600 works, from Persian-style miniature paintings with a modern twist to a large-scale sculpture created especially for the site.
http://www.thepost.com.pk/IsbNewsT.aspx?dtlid=115110&catid=17

The building has been designed by naeem Pasha.

the color of exterior is ugly as hell

the color of exterior is ugly as hell
WRONG!

They have designed the brickface in a very nice way. If you go you will notice the detail they gone into to pull it off.

the color of exterior is ugly as hell

When I was in Islamabad, I don't know that it is National Art gallery, I also found this building Ugly but Different from others.

Yeah, it's ugly; but not as ugly as the Lahore Airport.

The Lahore airport ugly?

Are you on purple haze?

PPl who criticize the outdoors of NAG have just no true art sense and are also unaware of true history behind this building. This building reflects very art and deco of traditional Pakistan in the most modern city in the world.

ok yeh history and heritage..its all good... but do they have to use shit colored bricks... are trying to replicate the cow dung stuck to walls in villages?

why not use reddish high quality bricks??????

^^art merijan. I learned thru a Canadian Newspaper-how beautiful this bldg is and its brick work.

^^art merijan. I learned thru a Canadian Newspaper-how beautiful this bldg is and its brick work.
You need a newspaper to tell you how beautiful a building is?

@UP

Man, I've had this convo with a Lahori too. But anyway, you guys are too far up your own ass. I adore that brickwork (I think that building's Al Hamra that's also made out of it), but it looks hideous in the airport. Why? Coz from a little distance you can't see the bricks and the things look ugly. That's it. Just coz it looks nice doesn't mean every goddamn structure has to be made out of brick. If you have to tell someone that it looks nice, it probably doesn't.

http://www.archnet.org/news/view.jsp?news_id=14701

National Art Gallery, Islamabad
http://tcl.archnet.org/library/webpages/newspieces/pak_news_4.jpg

28 years in the making, Pakistan's National Art Gallery now stands on Constitution Avenue next to the country's Parliament, Supreme Court, and Presidency. Its modest pale brick exterior belies a highly polished interior, one rich in natural light. A haveli-style courtyard and masonry details blend with aluminum light scoops to enrich the vistor's experience of the galleries, all linked spatially by the museum's circular circulation pattern.

Architect Naeem Pasha has brought a traditional materiality to a work decidedly contemporary in concept and realization. "A people's building should not be boastful or monumental," says Mr. Pasha, whose building brings Pakistan's artists to the international arena.

Don't know if there is a thread for ART activites etc, thus posting it here.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Pakistani artists to rock Art Dubai

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2008/03/17/20080317_e02.jpg


LAHORE: Desperately Seeking Paradise, a joint art venture of 10 Pakistani artists is all set to make a splash at Art Dubai, one of the largest art festivals in the world.

The festival will start from March 19 at the Madinat Jumeirah, the Arabian Resort, Dubai.

The Art Dubai takes place every year in Dubai and has become a cornerstone for fast growing art community in Middle East. This year about 70 artists from Middle East, Asia, Europe, the US, North Africa and Australia are participating in the event.

The fair has become a global art forum where top curators and museum directors happen to share views on art. Renowned curators like Tate Modern, London; Katie Gass, New York; and Catherine David, Paris will grace the fair.

The 10 Pakistani artists led by Salima Hashmi will take part in the grand art finale. The 10 artists are those who have been playing their role for the betterment of the social and political situation in Pakistan. The title of the project, Desperately Seeking Paradise, was inspired by Pakistani intellectual, Ziauddin Sardar’s book.

The artists have worked in a variety of media. Rashid Rana’s digital paintings are rife with multi-layered messages. Social and political juxtapositions are couched in referential images. They either lull one into complacent visual pleasure or jolt him/her back into the sharpness of the real world.

Nazia Khan’s art pieces investigate social dualities. She has explored contrary approaches to gender in a patriarchal society. The notion of ‘protection’ of the female, as opposed to the ‘containment’ of the female comes under scrutiny. Her usage of metal and fabric to construct ‘protective gear’ or body armour for the female makes the work unique.

Farida Batool has worked on the vulnerable sections of society that pose serious questions. She has worked with a marginalised group, battered women. She has also worked on the bombing of Baghdad by coalition forces.

Sophie Ernst’s work, Jannat, speaks about the dreams spelt out of a promised land. She has a Western origin and has adopted Lahore as her home. Her work was very much to do with Pakistan and she has tried to be a bridge and vehicle for a dialogue between Pakistan and the West. Muhammad Ali Talpur’s work is meditative, sanguine, minimal and profound. He has used graphite and ink to make his linear landscape. This is a frame of mind, which demands utter balance in the face of the conflict-ridden reality.

Salima Hashmi told Daily Times that Desperately Seeking Paradise had reflected a range of artistic work, issues and medium. She said, “The fair is consciously provocative in the way that it explores divergent pathways for the artists. It reveals a sustained, self-critical panorama which is humorous, argumentative and innovative.”

She said that it was a pleasant thing that Pakistani artists would display their works with the renowned artists of the world. “I hope we will have a successful show in Dubai and will bring a good name for the country to the country,” she concluded.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\03\17\story_17-3-2008_pg13_7

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2245/1614759338_a3e2db9ab8_b.jpg

I came to know that this place has a very nice interior now through one of the Pakistani architecture magazine that Ive subsribed too. Its been so long I havent given coverage to this project! :( It good that this project was completed! Took around 28years to get finished!! haha

http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-01/170380-1-eng-GB/nag-01.jpg


http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-03/170396-1-eng-GB/nag-03.jpg


http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-05/170412-1-eng-GB/nag-05.jpg


http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-06/170420-1-eng-GB/nag-06.jpg


http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-07/170428-1-eng-GB/nag-07.jpg


http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-08/170436-1-eng-GB/nag-08.jpg


http://universes-in-universe.org/var/storage/images/media/images/islam/2007/nag_pakistan/nag-02/170388-1-eng-GB/nag-02.jpg

herz a link if u want to read about it

http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas/articles/2007/national_art_gallery_pakistan

Video on Gallery

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=5569954a-3c55-431d-aad7-9d498b6bdba6&f=00&fg=copy

That is a beautiful museum!

simply brilliant ...

Its look cool :)

WOW....... this gallery is super cool.....

Morre pics please!

Morre pics please!

since u r in Islamabad, y don't u get us some...... that wud b nice :)

very good looking buidling from inside. yeah razashah u shud provide us with pictures.