Dawn Images

The Lahore Arts Council will hold another workshop in July to train artists in restoration of damaged artworks which will continue for a couple of months.

Officials told Dawn that it would be the second workshop. Earlier, the LAC had organised a [restoration] workshop with the help of CKU in December last year.

However, [this] one would solely be organised by the council to refresh the learning process. Artists from Lahore and nearby cities are expected to participate in the activity.

LAC Deputy Director Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi told this reporter that the workshop was aimed at capacity building of the artists in restoration and preservation of artworks.

He said the most important painting on which the artists would work is that of Anna Molka Ahmed, the pioneer of fine arts in the country.

“This painting titled Tilisam Kada is extremely damaged.”

He said the workshop would be conducted under the supervision of eminent artists. “Names to this effect are being finalised.”

He said during the last workshop paintings of Ustad Allah Bakhsh, Sadeqain, S. Shamza, S. Safdar, Zubaida Agha, Zakia Dil and Saeed Akhtar were restored.

He said the council would soon produce a ‘Coffee Table Book’ on the [restored] paintings of all those artists.

Zulfi said the activity would be a collective effort to refresh the learning process in the field of restoration and preservation.

“The council will contact different artists in Lahore and other cities for participation in this continued learning process,” he said. Later, an exhibition [of restored works] would be held at Alhamra Art Gallery, The Mall.

Originally published in Dawn, June 13th, 2017