Mansion was initiated and organized by Nausheen Saeed, an artist and Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at the National College of Arts. ‘Mansion’, the artists’ residency is being launched from 5:00 pm to 8: 00 pm on Sunday 10th July 2011 in Lahore. Began on 20th June 2011, the residency, Mansion will continue for a month and on the last day, 23rd July, the exhibition of art works will be held at t
he premises, 48, L Gulberg, Lahore. Following artists are part of the residency:
1. Ehsan ul Haq
4. Iqra Tanveer
5. Rija Asher
6. Sajjad Ahmed
All of these artists belong to a new generation of Pakistani artists, who are experimenting with and exploring their ideas, imagery, mediums and materials. Mansion has provided them the opportunity to work at a studio space, interact with each other, move beyond their usual art practices, and to engage in dialogue with their fellow artists, writers, educationists and art students. These aspects are significant and important because in our present art world there are not many occasions for meaningful exchange of ideas between artists and other professionals related to art, or even among artists themselves. Talking about the concept behind the residency, Mansion, it's organizer Nausheen Saeed is determined to hold this residency/workshop on a regular basis in Lahore, and if possible twice a year both in summer and winter. She is also planning to invite artists from other cities and outside country, because in her opinion: “although art making is a single person’s activity, but it only gets enriched when it is part of a larger narrative. Mansion is an effort to provide the venue and reason for interacting with each other, sharing and understanding common concerns among the artists”. At the residency, Mansion all participants are making site specific art works, which will be viewed on the concluding day. A large number of artists, critics, curators, collectors and art students are expected to come on the opening day exhibition, planned to be held from 10:00 to 8:00 pm on Saturday 23rd July 2011, at the 48, L Gulberg Lahore.
