The Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture hosted a webinar targeting budding and professional artists to commemorate World Art Day on 15th April 2021. The objective of the discussion entitled ‘Evolution of the Art World through Social Media’ was to celebrate the work of Pakistani artists and share experiences of the role social media plays in helping the work of local artists reach across the globe.
The speakers of the webinar included Mr Jordi Fornies, Director of Emerging Markets for APAC, Facebook and a contemporary artist himself, Ms Sobia Naqsh, Curator of the Jamil Naqsh Museum; Mr Affan Baghpati, Visual Artist & IVS Faculty Member; Mr Arslan Nasir; Visual Artist & IVS Faculty Member, Ms Sabeen Yamin; Architect & Multidisciplinary Artist; and Ms Shajeeha Mehdi, Game Developer & AR filter creator.
The discussion revolved around the changes brought, with the advent of social media, to the art world, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each speaker shared their own experience of utilizing platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to help further their careers and connect with their audiences in a better manner. With a wide array of expertise collated for the webinar, many perspectives were brought to light.
Speaking at the webinar, Mr Jordi Fornies said, ‘Just the fact that we are all able to connect today from different corners of the world to have this conversation is a strong testament to how technology can help in building meaningful connections. In today’s increasingly digital world, social media has become one of the most powerful tools that an artist can use to grow their audiences and expand their careers online. Being an artist myself, I feel very strongly about artists utilizing our platforms to help them grow. It was heartening to hear stories of artists from Pakistan whose work may be from different mediums but have all benefited immensely from Facebook’s family of apps.’
Globally, numerous emerging businesses and artists utilise the various tools available across Facebook Technologies, including Facebook Pages, Instagram, and Communities, and are exploring AR experiences and mobile-first creatives to carve their niche and build meaningful connections with their target audience.
World Art Day, a celebration that promotes the development, diffusion and enjoyment of art, was proclaimed at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2019. It aims to reinforce the links between artistic creations and society, encourage greater awareness of the diversity of creative expressions and highlight the contribution of artists to sustainable development.