A safe space for desi women to create, collaborate and exhibit!
Lit up with the spirits of many women, Pinky Gul is a place where desi women come to seek refuge from the shackles of the society that suffocate their talents and spirits. The artist inside that lay dormant for ages can now find comfort and appreciation at Pinky Gul where efforts are made to lift women.
The venue hosted an art exhibition by the name “Andekhey” [unseen] on the 19th and 20th of February, organized by the students of Habib University. Over 28 artists from Habib University participated in the exhibition where they showcased their photography and artistry. The event was met with a great response from the visitors and the artists were soaring high with the appreciation and flatter their passionate work was met with.
The event came to life through the efforts of the organizing team of students at Habib University. Manahil Siddiqui, a Communication & Design student at the university, shares how she came up with the idea of hosting Andekhey at Pinky Gul.
“The event was literally a labor of love for me because Marium and I found this space together because we were working on this assignment where we were looking for female-centric spaces and it was such a lovely experience. Jab hum research kar rahay thay, Pinky Gul ki owner, Mishayl Naek, ko interview kar rahay thay [When we were researching, interviewing Pinky Gul’s owner, Mishayl Naek], it was such a lovely experience and she was so supportive of what we were doing and then she was like “I have pop-ups here”. Marium was the president of ‘Arts Club’ and Marium went like “Oh my gosh, let’s do an art pop-up here”. So we kept going to Pinky Gul for assignments and fun, toh iss tarha idea transpire hua [so this is how the idea transpired].”
We spoke with a few participants at the exhibition to gain a better insight as to how the event turned out.
1) What was the event like for you?
“As an organizer, it was really amazing to see an idea come to life and to have a community of people who shared that idea and who appreciated what we hoped they would. It was really cool how all the people who had second-guessed themselves or thought that no one would come to see their work or it would just not be good enough but we pushed them to print it out and put it on display and so many people came to appreciate it, came to look at it, came to see the stories behind that art. So, for me it was really really cool seeing everybody light up, all the artists light up at the work, all the people come and see and just be blown away by it because a lot of people were even our own professors who saw our work and were so impressed; it was, it was SUPER SUPER amazing. For me, it was a really really great weekend, just a great one – one that I had not expected would turn out like that.”
– Ariba Rafi
Communication & Design, 2022
“As an organizer, the event was really fulfilling. It was so beyond our expectations. We could not have believed ke itnay log aye gain [that so many would come], and people would give respect to art, especially created by students and women. I thought we would be scoffed at and would maximum make one or two sales but as an artist as well, it was mind-blowing because there were quite a few artists who got completely sold out. The entire point of this platform was that the artists determine their own worth so when artists told me their prices, I was really shocked because as an artist, I had never given myself that much worth. So, I didn’t discourage them and I was very frightened if they didn’t do too well and thought it would be a failure on my part. So the first sale we made – it was an amazing feeling. The event started at 3 pm on Friday and the piece got sold at 3:15. It was an expensive painting and we were like “Holy shit.”
– Marium Asif
Communication & Design, 2022
“The event was literally like a wholesome nice day where art is being appreciated and women were being appreciated by other women and men. It was such a safe environment for everyone to exist in and it was just so uplifting and so so positive. Like itni positive vibes thi un dono din [there were so many positive vibes both of those days].”
– Manahil Siddiqui
Communication & Design, 2022
2) Was it your first time showcasing your artwork?
“It was actually the first time that I put up my prints for display because I am so insecure about my work. But obviously, to me, the main idea wasn’t to showcase my art but help curate and organize the event. But yeah, displaying my art and it getting sold was also a bonus.”
– Manahil Siddiqui
Communication & Design, 2022
“It was my first time being part such of an exhibition. I have seen exhibitions but I have never been part of them or been on the other side like this. So it was super nerve-wracking because art is also very subjective. A lot of people don’t like it and A LOT of people have standards for it that you may or may not meet so putting your art out there is actually very very vulnerable and very nerve-wracking. I have never been on this side of an exhibition before.”
– Ariba Rafi
Communication & Design, 2022
“The event was really exciting for me because it was the first time that my work or my art was being exhibited so yeah it was pretty exciting and also pretty stressful because when you’re doing it for the first time, you’re like “oh, pata nahi koi khareedega bhi ya nahi” [oh, don’t know if someone would even buy this or not].”
– Fatima Nooraen
Communication & Design, 2022
3) What was the turnout like?
“I don’t know how to put it but it was like a real crowd. On Saturday for example, after the break (3:30-4:30 pm), the venue was packed.”
– Kinza Irfan
Communication & Design, 2022
“I would say around 700 to 800 people within the two days or even more than that. It was always a full house.”
– Marium Asif
Communication & Design, 2022
4) Did the event help you in terms of connecting with other artists?
“In terms of connecting, there wasn’t much going on since it was mostly Habib students and we already know each other, but the exciting and connecting part was people coming over to you and appreciating and buying your artwork”.
– Kinza Irfan
Communication & Design, 2022
“Even though I am part of the Habib community, even though the community is small, there were so many people I didn’t even know had such great art to put up. Also, other artists also watched us like students from IVS, professors from IVS, and our own professors. So it was a great artist community – very very good vibes all around.”
– Ariba Rafi
Communication & Design, 2022
5) How was the sale experience like?
“Sale experience was pretty good. Better than what we were expecting. It was really nice that so many people came and bought stuff because the monetary value is something that people don’t think art has or their skills have. So, at this level, it's really validating for people to have this. Even if they have a little bit of encouragement through monetary terms, it goes a long way in pushing them to do better. Of course, it is an incentive but it is also a motivation.”
– Ariba Rafi
Communication & Design, 2022
6) What were your expectations from the event and did you make enough sales to cover your investment costs?
“Most artists sold enough to cover at least their printing costs and that was pretty great. It was an achievement for us when four frames of the same artist sold within minutes.”
– Ariba Rafi
Communication & Design, 2022
“Yes, I did sell enough pieces to cover the investment cost and I also made a profit.”
– Kinza Irfan
Communication & Design, 2022
7) Would you consider showcasing your artwork again if the exhibition were to be held next year too? Do you plan to expand the artist circle beyond the Habib community?
“Yeah, I would love to showcase my art and be part of the event again and help organize it. It was such a lovely experience. We are actually planning to expand the circle beyond Habib because this was just an experiment thing we did and Alhamdulillah it did take off. Even on the Instagram page, so many people were sending their art, asking to be featured and we felt so bad turning them down. So, next time, we definitely want to make this a bigger thing and a frequent thing.”
– Manahil Siddiqui
Communication & Design, 2022
“Yes, that is our goal. Our next Andakhey project is going to target university students across Pakistan. Every year, we want to have bi-annual exhibitions. One is going to be focused on university students while the other is going to be focused towards people outside a university. I don’t think I can move away from the idea of female-centric spaces because that is where safety and representation come from. Art is only another facet of oppression and even if we can't remove this oppression from the world, I would like to remove it from art at least”.
– Marium Asif
Communication & Design, 2022
“Yes, I would love to! The event was like a confidence booster for wanting to exhibit your art you know, and make you appreciate it yourself”.
– Kinza Irfan,
Communication & Design, 2022
(Picture credits: Kinza Irfan)
From the artists’ perspective, the event was a soaring success. The positive response was overwhelming and their expectations were met beyond what they had imagined. From a visitor’s point of view, the event was described as nothing short of extremely special and inspiring.
“Andekhey has a special place in my heart! It felt so good to see wonderful aspiring artists come together and share their perspectives through their works. Each individual exhibiting had such a unique and attractive style! It was clear just how much effort was put in behind these wonderful pieces!! Events like Andekhey not just provide a platform for the artists to showcase their creative works to the world but they allow them to gain confidence as creative people, which is really important considering the amount of negative impact that the new normal has had on our mental health, etc. I really appreciate the team behind Andekhey; initiating a successful event like that is not easy but they did it, becoming an inspiration for all the women out there who aspire to do great things!”
– Umama Leghari,
Communication & Design, 2022
Events and exhibitions such as Andekhey are vital in order to empower our women and spaces such as Pinky Gul help in providing safe platforms for people to indulge in and explore their creative visions to find not only a safe haven from the outside world but also find themselves.
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