Shaheer Ahmed
Artists and craftsmen tend to preserve the culture and history of a country. They portray and represent the local culture, which showcases the work of the world. Pakistan is blessed and fertile with talent. Pakistan’s famous ceramist, Sheherezade Alam, passed away at 74.
Sheherezade Alam, an internationally renowned Pakistani ceramist passed away today. She obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Design with a distinction in ceramics from National College of Arts, Lahore.#sheherezadealam #passedaway #Pakistan #ceramist #arts #cczdigital pic.twitter.com/18qu2CsGgw
— CCZDigital (@cczdigital) May 18, 2022
Pakistan and Ceramics
Hala in Sindh is popular for ceramics. The artists are known as kashighars. They are popular for glazed ceramic, earthenware, terracotta, and exquisite hand painting. They use specific colors such as cobalt blue, turquoise, mustard, purple, brown, and white. Hala tiles and earthenware are usually exported.
Multan in Sind is famous for blue ceramics. The mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam and the shrines of Shah Ali Akbar and Shah Yousuf Gardezi showcase the classic blue tiles. The blue ceramics are made in the indigo color along with green and cobalt blue for the base. The outline is drawn with the pen and brush by using ¾ of cobalt and ¼ of water mixture.
Sheherezade Alam
She is a famous Pakistani Ceramist, who was born in Lahore in 1948. Her father was a famous tennis player, Mahmoud Alam. She did her Intermediate from Kinnaird College, Lahore. She got her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Design with a major in ceramics from the National College of Arts NCA, Lahore. She was mentored by Salahuddin Mian, who has the honor of being Pakistan’s first ceramist.
She was also the founder of Jahan-i- Jahanara. This was a center for traditional arts for children aged between 8 and 12 years.
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Art Shows
She has represented Pakistan in many art shows (both in groups and solo). The group shows include:
- 1980: Sultan Art Gallery, Kuwait
- 1983: Group Show, British Council, Islamabad
- 1983: Group Show, Rohtas Gallery, Islamabad
- 1988: Joint exhibition, Yale University, New Haven, USA
- 1995-1999: Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition
- 2009: Group Show, Vogue Art Gallery, Islamabad.
The solo shows include:
- 1990: Chawkandi Arts, Karachi
- 1993: Ish Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
- 1994: Bismillah, Arcadia Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 1996: Clay Continuum, Gardiner Art Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 2004: Offering Bowls, Arcadia Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 2005: Laali, Ceramic Installation, Private Residence, Lahore
- 2006: Laali, The garden of Imran Mir, Karachi
We mourn the loss of an artist. Thank you Sheherezade for representing Pakistan. You truly will be missed.
