Manzar Art exhibition at NMOQ to conclude with concerts, Pakistani food festival

Doha, Qatar: ‘MANZAR: Art and Architecture from Pakistan 1940s to Today’ currently on display at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) will conclude its historic run on January 31, 2025.

To mark the closing of this groundbreaking exhibition, Art Mill Museum is presenting a three-day programme including talks, a workshop and a concert, as well as the Pakistani Food Festival, held in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan.

Since its opening on November 1, 2024, Manzar showcases the diverse contributions of artists and architects who have shaped the narratives, histories, and contemporary perspectives of Pakistan’s cultural landscape and its diasporas since the 1940s.

Organised by the future Art Mill Museum in collaboration with the National Museum of Qatar, the exhibition includes over 200 works—paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos, miniatures, and commissioned artworks and Yasmeen Lari’s architectural pavilions.

The exhibition inspired a highly successful winter camp and a series of guided school tours. The “Manzar Ka Safar: A Journey Through Art, Architecture, and Culture” winter camp, hosted 452 participants with activities inspired by Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage, including interactive tours, hands-on art sessions, and family-friendly experiences.

Meanwhile, the guided school tours welcomed a total of 3,875 students across November, December and January. Schools such as the American School of Doha, Pakistan International School, and SEK International School Qatar took part in these tailored, interactive sessions, which included engaging workshops and discussions on art and culture.

The grand finale begins today (January 22) at 4pm with a talk by Salima Hashmi. The renowned artist, educator, curator and writer Salima Hashmi, whose artworks are included in the exhibition and whose essay is in the catalogue, presents The Museum: A Space for Our Multiple Lives at the NMoQ Auditorium.

Following this talk at 7pm, will be a captivating musical performance by Aga Khan Master Musicians, renowned for their extraordinary artistry that transcends cultures and continents. They will perform alongside the SAZ Trio, winners of the prestigious Aga Khan Music Awards, and aspiring artists from Qatar Museum’s Music Lab—a creative hub dedicated to elevating Qatar’s musical landscape and nurturing young musical talent through initiatives, programmes, events, and dynamic creative spaces that contribute to the development, promotion, and sustainability of diverse music culture in Qatar.

On January 23, from 11am to 1pm, the programme continues with a roundtable discussion Voices in Art: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue on Art and Education. Three prominent and highly esteemed artists and educators from Lahore and Karachi come to Doha to dialogue with Manzar and with some of Qatar’s most talented and innovative artists and art educators, including Wafika Sultan and Hannan Bu Muzah.

The programme concludes on January 24 with Bridging Traditions: Exploring Miniature Painting, Printmaking & Craft in Contemporary Art, a full-day workshop led by Huda Iqbal.

In collaboration with the Manzar exhibition and the Embassy of Pakistan, a Pakistani Food Festival will also open on January 23 at 4pm to 10pm at NMoQ, Al Baraha.