Karachi School of Art

Karachi School of Art is a private school in Pakistan. It was founded in 1964 by Rabia Zuberi. KSA is first private art institution of the country and first centre of art education of any kind in the city of Karachi.^{[citation needed]}

History

The school was initially founded as a small school.

Until 1964, when Karachi School of Art was founded, the opportunities of Art education were available only in Lahore in entire West Pakistan. KSA was founded with multifaceted objectives and vision in future.

Till early '90s Karachi School of Art has been a single leading source to provide training for advertising, textiles, packaging, product, television and print media, security design etc. Besides its vital industrial input, Karachi School of Art has accomplished a distinguished function in inculcating the taste in visual aesthetic and values in Painting, Sculpture, Print and Water Colour in Pakistan. At present most of the nationally celebrated artist like Lubna Agha, Zaheen Ahmed, Mashkoor Raza, Ghalib Baqar, Riffat Alvi, Anwer Jafri, Tariq Jawaid, Najam Pirzada, Anjum Ayaz, Muhammad Kazim, Sumbul Nazeer, Ather Jamal, Danish Raza, Roohi Ahmed hold the educational background of KSA.

In conserving and propagating the tradition of Watercolour in Pakistan, KSA has contributed special efforts. Specific attention and dedication in this medium in regular curriculum has enabled the artists to use the medium of Watercolour as most communicative form of visual expression in most contemporary context.

Aims & Aspiration

In the 1960s Karachi had hardly any institutions dedicated to the education of art. Art education was restricted to the city of Lahore only. Karachi School of Art was founded with the main aim to provide the opportunities of Art education to the young people of Karachi.

Courses

Karachi School of Art offers four-year professional diplomas in the fields of Fine Arts, Communication Design and Textile Design. The same subjects are offered in two-year certificate courses. A two-year diploma in Digital Media is also offered.

Departments

Fine Art

Department of Fine Art Offers four years diploma in Fine Arts with the major and minor subjects of painting, sculpture, and printmaking. By third year students get well acquainted with the media of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking, so in the second term of third year one subject out of these is selected as the major area of specialisation with one minor. At the end of the fourth-year, students are required to submit a Final Project called thesis, which is taken as the apex of the studies. A panel of jurors evaluates the thesis project that leads to the completion of studies.

Huge painting and drawing studios; PRINTMAKING WORKSHOP with two new etching presses, SCULPTURE studio and fully equipped workshop with gas and electric welding plants, fibreglass and Mattel casting facilities; CERAMICS dept. with its own ball mill, glaze and material testing laboratory and a fine KILN

Communication Design

Four years diploma program overall provides a framework which enables students to broaden their practical, conceptual analytical skills in the field of graphic design & advertising.

Courses are designed to equip students with critical, creative & analytical knowledge/ skills essential provide range of career in the field of design.

At the early stage of this Foundation + 3-years Communication Design studies, development of analytical techniques and drawing skills that help in visualisation of ideas, are emphasised. Students get quite familiar with the history of the field of graphic design & its formal vocabulary i.e. colours, composition typography. In advance levels, students get more challenging studies where class assignments are taken more like real advertising campaign.

Department enjoys the assistance of Professional visiting faculty in all related field, the facility of an exclusive computer lab to keep the perspective of the subject directly linked to the present professional requirements.

Textile Design

The studies in textile design prepare students for imaginative intellectual, technical and industrial demands of textile design & printing industry. The reputation of this department is based on students’ personal creative achievements resulting from a thorough knowledge of Textile materials & processes of dyeing, weaving, and printing. Design in Textiles is understood through active making. Ideas of students are inspired by wide ranging visual studies from the personal environment to the Nature.

Department enjoys facilities in the area of weaving, dyeing and screen-printing.

Supplement studies in handling the essential application software required in professional environment is an important feature of the course.

Digital Media

Karachi School of Art offers two years diploma courses in Digital Media keeping forth the latest developments in media and technologies. To impart basic understanding of design, computer graphics and concepts related to software and hardware is the main aim of these courses. The courses also support the understanding related to the new interactive products, which are currently being developed in the field of communication. These courses provide a clear outline of hypermedia production to help students understand how programs are planned, produced and on web or on air.

The courses offer training in a variety of Computer Graphics Systems, in-depth knowledge on technology, methodology, & application relevant to the design production of Computer Graphics.

Facilities offered in Karachi School of Art’s Computer Department are comparable to the advertising agencies.

KSA Gallery

KSA has a gallery which can be utilised by contemporary artists to create visual dialogues. The KSA Gallery encourages new experimental art, and hopes to bring forth unique exhibitions. It provides a critical space for artists to exhibit, and for visitors to explore the art on display.

Notable alumni

Karachi School of Art has played and eminent role in conserving and propagating the tradition of watercolour in Pakistan. Watercolour in the region of subcontinent is taken as the most powerful indigenous medium in visual art. Karachi School of Art has made special effort to bring this medium to the limelight and to the most contemporary context and practice in visual arts. To day most of the celebrated watercolorist in the contemporary art scenario in Pakistan belong Karachi School of Art. The few names of which are Zaheen Ahmed, Ghalib Baqar, Najam Pirzada & Ather Jamal.

Karachi School of Art has played and eminent role in conserving and propagating the tradition of watercolor in Pakistan. Watercolor in the region of subcontinent is taken as the most powerful indigenous medium in visual Art. Karachi School of Art has made special effort to bring this medium to the limelight and to the most contemporary context and practice in visual arts. Today most of the celebrated watercolorist in the contemporary Art scenario in Pakistan belongs to Karachi School of Art.

1. Abdul Hafeez (Painter / Designer)
2. Abdul Hayee (Watercolorist)
3. Abid Hassan (Painter)
4. Adnan Yousuf (Creative Director)
5. Afshan Abid-Ali (Painter, Designer, Art Director/Instructor USA)
6. Amber Aslam (Painter)
7. Amer Jamal (Painter / Watercolorist)
8. Amir Taj (Creative Director / Researcher)
9. Anjum Ayaz (Sculptor)
10. Anwer Jafri (Designer)
11. AQ Arif (Painter)
12. Ather Jamal (Watercolorist / Educationist)
13. Danish Ahmed (Painter / Educationist)
14. Danish Raza (Painter / Designer)
15. Ghalib Baqar (Watercolorist | National Award)
16. Kaukab Barni (Painter)
17. Lubna Agha (Painter | National Award)
18. Mashkoor Raza (Painter | Pride of Performance)
19. Moazzam Ali (Watercolorist)
20. Moazam Ilyas Jilani (Creative Director)
21. Mubarik Ali (Set Designer/TV)
22. Nahid Afridi (Painter / Educationist)
23. Najam Pirzada (Watercolorist)
24. Qamar Siddiqui (Painter)
25. Rehma Iqbal (Sculptor)
26. Riffat Alvi (Painter / Director V.M. Gallery)
27. Roohi Ahmed (Painter / Educationist)
28. Salma Farooqi (Sculptor)
29. Shazia Qureshi (Printmaker / Painter / Educationist)
30. Sohail Zuberi (Designer / Educationist)
31. Sumbul Nazir (Painter)
32. Tariq Jawaid (Painter / Ceramists)
33. Taufiq Ahmed (Watercolorist)
34. Yawar Abbas (Designer / Educationist)
35. Zaheen Ahmed late (Watercolorist)

Selected achievements

• Truck Art Caravan 1994 in collaboration with PSO, supervised by Durriya Kazi. The purpose of the project was to bring art back to the people to whom it belongs and originate from. A truck decorated by art students in socio-political perspective, loaded with a mobile gallery traveled throughout the eminent city of Pakistan from Peshawar to Karachi in a month.
• Artist Exchange Program 1997 in collaboration with Scotland Transport Museum. This project Karachi School of Art sponsored the stay of an English artist Nicola Griffith and study of indigenous origin of the decoration of transport vehicles, i.e., trucks, buses, rickshaw, taxis and carts. In response to that a Pakistani artist from KSA, Afshan Abid was invited to Scotland to work and decorate two most modern vehicles — a road liner and a commuter van — in the context of typical Pakistani decoration. The road liner was kept in regular services in decorated state for six month. The commuter van became the permanent exhibit of Scotland transport museum with the well-elaborated context of the join venture between two nations and from Karachi School of Art.
• Top seven positions in Athena Awards 1996, conducted by One to One communication.
• National awards secured by the artists belonging to Karachi School of Art on innumerable occasions.
• Academic position in board since birth of the Board of Technical Education Sindh, Karachi School of Art has always held the best track record in term of positions in board examination.
• Admission in NCA postgraduate program. The standard of education in Karachi School of Art, in term of philosophy and craft, is positively recognized by National College of Art (NCA) Lahore, by enrolling two graduates of Karachi School of Art in the second badge of masters program on the bases of four years diploma studies completed at KSA.
• Participation in Sheraton Art Festival every year. Since the beginning of this local event Karachi School of Art has been the largest contributor amongst all art institutions of Karachi.
• Commissioned paintings for Oman (Masquat). In August 1999, a group of five young and promising artists — Abid Hassan, A.Q. Arif, Shariq Ayaz, Zia Haider and Moazam Ilyas Jilani — were invited at Oman’s national day celebrations. The assignment was to paint on mesh and plywood surfaces. The huge paintings were displayed on eminent spots in the capital. They were highly appreciated.

External links

• Karachi School of Art - Official Website