It was 2oth Annual Exhibition of Painting, Sculpture & Graphic Arts while 8th National Show held by Artists' Association of Punjab (AAP) on 7th April 2006 at Alhamra Art Gallery, Lahore. Being the mega event of Punjab, usually a seminar on Art- related topics is conducted on the next day of Exhibition on two core issues to be discussed, that were:

"Painting and Associated Issues"
&
"Socio-Political _Expression in Painting"

Governor Khalid Maqbol inaugurated the show, emphasized the significance of creative events and assured bright future for Art in Pakistan. Mian Ijaz_ul_Hassan (chairman) demanded the establishment of "Modern Art Museum and Gallery", and Governor replied in a positive way. Rahat Naveed was conducting the whole event, according to her four hundred invitations were posted but only half the number attended the seminar, interesting situation was that most of the writers, scholars and poets refused to come, on this note that "Art is not their field" quite contrary to the fact, history is fraught with men of letters who were also painters simultaneously. 186 participants including Painters, Sculptors and Graphists displayed their work on bare walls of Lyceum. Speakers drew attention towards important issues and predicaments faced by the artists of this era and the contribution they make towards socio_political and cultural fabric of society. Shahnawaz Zaidi put emphasis on non commercial value of Art, and said "commercialism spoils the element of social comment and natural flair of an artist rather he tends to paint keeping in mind the desire of buyer and market rates".

Marjouri Hussain highlighted the 'forgery in Art'; French counterfeits often produce replicas of original paintings and sell on high price, even Michael Angelo was also involved in the smuggling of paintings, she said new technology like thumb impression detection and verification of material should be used in this regard, everyone agreed to her valid view point. Qudus Mirza expressed his apprehensions and was afraid of the future in certain field. He said that oil paintings would get to an end as the medium of oil may get abandoned. He represented the precedents of the evolution of this medium right from natural colour to Tempera, oil colours and Acrylic (synthetic) in twentieth century painting. He was of the view that computer graphics, animation, illustrations and video installations can take over traditional mediums of painting.

Participants raised very valuable questions, one amongst those was the dire need of AAP website that could contain the related material like members' introduction along with their work, information regarding each activity, brochures, pamphlets and all the read papers on seminars from past to present should be available online giving an access to all the aspirants and art lovers around the globe, in this way it could represent Art work of Pakistan on large scale, the most valid point yanked by Nadeem Alam a painter among the audience.

This year you can see diversity of work, at the same arena done by our renowned Painters Sculptors & Graphists depicting outer world in general while inner in particular, just take a break from hectic life and get a sigh of relief, you can feel the aura that would certainly take you to another realm of ecstasy.

Though censorship policy curbed the display of some, worth seeing and radical paintings but even then the spectacle presented a wide range of artifacts like Zubaida Javed's dragging strokes of thick colours and murky faces of Raja Changez, on the other hand the landscapes of Ghulam Mustafa were as real as ever and Mian Ijaz_ul_Hassan gave a Misty touch to his mountains painted with green twigs, Mughees and Ali Azmat's work was illustrating Realism in technique while Romanticism in concept. Shahnawaz Zaidi as compared to his past realistic work seemed more soft, subtle and intangible. Although there were less than few sculptures displayed but Jamil Baloch's untitled relief was an expression of socio-political situation of the epoch.

Artists' Association of Punjab has been contributing for the last twenty years in carrying out the delicate course of representing the very original art of this age with the emerging and changing phenomenon of this part of the world regardless of social, political, cultural and economical challenges and barriers. During last two decades, AAP has recorded and documented true picture of society through painted canvases, meticulously curved clay and illustriously graphed shapes n' lines, which has become a chronological index as well.

By EMMA ALAM.