The Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) Karachi featured vibrant cultural activities on the second day of the Arts Alumni Festival on Saturday with talk session, theatre performances, flash mob and a qawwali night.
The day began with an Alumni Talk Session where alumni of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, including Taha Abbas, Asim Naqvi, Zehra Ali, Sani e Zehra, Faha Shabi and Huzaifa Khan, shared their experiences and professional journeys.
ACP President Mohammad Ahmed Shah attended the session as a special guest. He said the institution had faced numerous challenges in the past, but significant efforts were made to rebuild the art school and promote students’ work in the market.
“We ensured that our art gallery did not operate like a private gallery. Our goal was to help alumni gain recognition in the market,” Shah said.
The festival’s second day also featured a theatre play ‘Mera Aangan, which was an adaptation of the novel Aangan by Khadija Mastoor. The play was directed by Fatima Adil.
The second theatre production of the day was The Monkey’s Paw directed by Farhan Rahim who also enacted the father’s role.
The play was based on a short story by British fiction writer WW Jacobs and dealt with the theme of how unfulfilled desires may be a blessing in disguise.
The play had a gothic element as it revolved around a cursed monkey paw found by a soldier while retrieving the bodies of his fellow soldiers during a battle. The cursed object would grant three wishes to whoever possessed it but the boon would come in such a manner that one repented having made that wish. The other cast members included Ramsha Aura, Sufi Ghaus, Shehryar Anwar and Ayaz Ali. The performance by Ramsha was particularly admirable as she effectively held on to the emotions of a bereaved mother.
First day
On Friday, the ACP officially inaugurated its three-day Arts Alumni Festival 2026 with a vibrant opening ceremony celebrating creativity, culture and emerging artistic talent.
The festival was inaugurated by renowned humorist Anwar Maqsood along with ACP Muhammad Ahmed Shah. The opening ceremony was also attended by ACP Vice President Munawar Saeed, ACP Secretary Ejaz Farooqi, Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jamili, Norwegian artist and filmmaker Karen Houge, painter Shahid Rassam, ACP Fine Arts Committee Chairman Farrukh Shahab, members of the artistic community and a large number of students.
Under the festival, an art exhibition has been organised at Ahmed Pervez Art Gallery showcasing 31 captivating artworks created by 19 emerging artists, including Jawad Ahmed Jan, Ramsha Khan, Rida Ali Shah, Muhammad Jawad Hassan, Habiba Mujeeb ur Rehman, Kiran Aslam, Kabeer Ata Muhammad, Yasir Noor, Shahzad Baloch, Akash Jivraj, Stephen Yaqoob, Zehra Ali, Taha Abbas, Sani e Zahra, Faha Shabi, Behzad Ahmed Warsi, Asim Naqvi, Zeenat Khan, and Zarnab Baloch.
As part of the festival, the second convocation ceremony of the ACP School of Visual and Performing Arts was held at the Auditorium I. Iraq Consul General Dr Maher Mjhid Jejan, Director of Alliance Française de Karachi Emmanuel Breurec, Director General of Goethe-Institut Pakistan Andreas Schiekofer and veteran journalist Ghazi Salahuddin were among distinguished guests who attended the convocation, during which 55 graduating students from various artistic disciplines received their credentials.
The graduates included 28 students from the theatre department, 17 from music, five from fine arts, three from communication design, and two from textile design.
Gold medals in the theatre department were awarded to Zobi Fatima and Alaiza, whereas Muhammad Hassan Alam and Marhaba Noor received silver medals. In the music department, Azhar-ul-Shams received a gold medal, while SM Taha Abbas earned a gold medal in fine arts. Silver medals were awarded to Aleeza Fatima and Muhammad Shah Rukh Jameel from the music department, while Zehra Ali secured silver and Faha Shabi received a bronze medal in fine arts.
Addressing the convocation, Maqsood said it was a day of happiness. He added that his first exhibition was held in 1958, while the first exhibition of Sadequain’s artworks was held in 1957. At that time, the price of his painting was Rs100, while a painting by Sadequain was priced at 800 rupees.
Referring humorously to comparison between the ACP and National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa), he said that although Napa was located in front of the ACP, a strait of Hormuz had come between the two institutions.
Meanwhile, the ACP president said he was proud of his faculty heads. He recalled that the ACP started its music academy with just one individual. He said the greatest strength of the institution was its students.
The first day of the festival concluded with theatre play Dream Girl, in which Norwegian filmmaker and comedian Karen Houge presented her self-written solo show.
