Dr. Sadia Pasha Kamran

Ruman Art Initiative, Pakistan

Short Bio: Dr. Sadia Pasha Kamran is a thinker, theorist and an artist. She has been teaching art history & theory since 1995. Her research on contemporary art of Pakistan is well received at national and international forums. She is also the recipient of Getty Research Award 2015. Her latest publication Bano’s Companion to Feminist Art – Women, Art & Politics in Pakistan highlights role and status of women artists in the development of contemporary Pakistani society. The book meets the paradigm of socially-engaged art history writing deeply entrenched in theoretical investigations.

Keynote Topic:  Remembering the Future: Making Art & Design Education Relevant in Contemporary Pakistan
At the dawn of 21st century the idea of decolonization was getting stronghold in every field of life. The concept was considered to be an essential integer for global harmony. In Pakistan, it took around two more decades to create awareness and to popularize the notion in a way that engaged the thinkers, academics, policy makers and other stakeholders in making conscious efforts to decolonize the society. The need to reevaluate the strategies for a more comprehensive and result oriented approach in art and design education is realized today. We shall look at the conceptual challenges and aim to relocate the compass on imminent socio-political, economic, and environmental issues of global nature then merely reiterating the cause and effect of being a former colony. Such contextually engaged learning and systems of knowledge production is a promising approach towards a more stabilized Pakistani society that is eager to create an impact on the global horizon