The National College of Arts under graduate thesis display was held on their iconic campus throughout last week, ending today. Every year the NCA thesis display is held to much regard by art lovers, art critics and art collectors throughout the country and has managed to become a much anticipated event in the art world. The National College of Arts has a long standing history of delivery great artists, architects, designers and even actors with the likes of Ali Zafar, Ayesha Omar and Meesha Shafi among some of their alumni.
We had the absolute privilege of being part of the display and one thing that has remained consistent with NCA is their sheer outreach to bring forth artists from rural backgrounds, who with just a few years of polishing by their institute manage to put out something that is nothing less than monumental, and for that, as true admirers of art, we are elated.
This year two students caught our attention by showcasing work that really seeped in and we had no choice but to sit down with them and get to know more.
Fatimah Sattar, NCA Film Department
Fatimah was one of the few students who got a distinction in her department. We had the privilege to see her short film Masad. Her film is about a sister and her mentally challenged brother. She is put in a situation where her own morals, the social pressures and her circumstances make it impossible for her to find a solution without sacrificing her own morals.
We spoke to this 23 year old film maker from Multan about how she felt about getting recognized for her work.
“Making a film, then showing it to a panel of jurors and then to the public and getting recognized for your work, in short, covers up for all the years you’ve spent doubting yourself and your decision to choose film-making as your profession,” she said. “The feeling when somebody picks out the smallest of the details you’ve intentionally added to your film is indescribable”.
Fatimah is eager to pursue a career in film making; we asked her how she feels about Pakistani cinema and where this developing industry is lacking. “THE SCRIPT! These recent Pakistani films all have excellent production value but it is a pity that none of them have a worthy script,” she exclaimed. “What we are doing at the moment is taking bits from here and there and then adding in a few elements of what a ‘blockbuster’ movie should have and then we give birth to this thing called the script.”
Fatima is not the only one who says that she would like to see more originality in cinema, we also support her notion on this. We are most definitely looking forward to her work in the future and we wish her the best of luck for it.
Imran Kazme, NCA Fine Arts Department
Another artist that really stood out to us was Imran Kazme; his dramatic strokes and portrayal of relationships in connection to himself was exceptional. Imran not only got the distinction for his work but also sold practically everything from his thesis to his portfolio. An accomplishment only a few others can share with him.
Imran came to NCA to pursue art from a small town a few hundred kilometers from Lahore. It was his passion that drove him to create this art along with a keen likeness for old masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Colin David and Shakir Ali. His hyper realistic art was a homage to the love he has for his fiance and a tribute to the relationship he shares with her.
Speaking to Something Haute, he said that he is hopeful about his career as an artist and he will work hard to get more recognition in Pakistan. We look forward to seeing more of him and his work. Watch this space for more.
