For years, Mariam Chughtai has immersed herself in the study of the complex politics of identity, religion, and terrorism in Pakistan. Today, as The Mittal Institute’s Babar Ali fellow, she is writing a book that brings her research and real-world experience in South Asia to life, exploring the tension between the politics and culture of Pakistan to rewrite the narrative that has been erroneously given to the nation.
2018 Visiting Artist Imran Channa is a contemporary artist from Pakistan. His art practice interrogates the intersection between power and knowledge. Channa’s primary focus is on the documentation and dissemination of historical narratives and events. He explores how fabricated narratives can override our collective memory to shape individual and social consciousness and alter human responses. In this interview, we discuss how he first became interested in installation artwork and the benefits of making art abroad.
Curious about how artists make traditional Indian Miniature paintings? Check out our video of the demonstration and workshop led by artist and art historian Murad Mumtaz Khan, organized as part of Professor Jinah Kim’s Painting in India Course (HAA184x Painting of India) at the Harvard Art Museums Materials Lab.
Congratulations to Green Screen and Umbulizer, the winners of our 2018 Seed for Change Competition. Umbulizer, the winner of Seed for Change Pakistan, will receive $15,000 to further develop a reliable, low-cost, and portable device that can provide continuous ventilation to patients in resource-limited healthcare settings. Green Screen, winner of Seed for Change India, will receive $40,000 to produce a zero-electricity, modular ventilation panel made from an agricultural waste byproduct and designed for the slums of New Delhi, India.
Murad Khan Mumtaz’s research focuses on devotional portraiture with a special interest in representations of Muslim saints in early modern India. On April 6th, he gave a talk at SAI that will discuss sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century album and manuscript paintings made for Muslim patrons. Before his talk, we chatted with him about his Miniature Portrait training at the Lahore National College of Art, his influences, and journey into traditional musawwari painting.
After realizing that he could use food to make an impact within communities, Neel Ghose founded the Robin Hood Army to serve neighborhoods across India, Pakistan, and other Asian countries. Learn more about his mission and strategies from this interview.
SAI is pleased to announce our 2018 Visiting Artists, who will be at Harvard from mid-March to mid-May. During their time at Harvard, the artists will display their work on campus, meet with students, attend courses, and give public seminars.
Applications for the 2018 SAI Crossroads Program open on March 15! Last year, we welcomed 50 first-generation college students from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Dubai for a fully-funded career development opportunity with Harvard faculty.
All are invited to our special Partition events in August – the discussions, exhibitions and performances are free and open to the public.
The South Asia Institute’s Director, Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at the Harvard Business School, spoke in June 2017 about our Partition project at the World Economic Forum in China.
At the SAI, we have embarked on a major research project to understand the history, context and continuing impact of Partition, as its 70th anniversary approaches. Our Director, Tarun Khanna, looks ahead to new research.