A Brief Introduction of Pakistani Artist Alia Bilgrami

Alia Bilgrami is a visual artist who does mixed-media and miniature painting, photography and sculpture. Her artwork which has national and international recognition, has been displayed at Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and London.

She has done her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi and a Masters in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. Currently she resides in Islamabad, where she is the curator at Khass Gallery. Her latest show entitled Out of the Forest was exhibited at Koel Gallery, Karachi in November 2014.

The Sovereign Asian Art Prize and Schoeni Public Prize

It is a competition that is being held annually for the past 11 years, which offers the most coveted prize for contemporary arts in the Asia-Pacific region. The Sovereign Art Foundation (a charity founded in 2003 in Honk Kong and the UK, which raises funds to help underprivileged children through the means of Art as an education as well as treatment) appoints qualified artists within the region to nominate art professionals from their countries (award winning artist Naiza Khan nominated Alia Bilgrami).

Thirty finalists are then shortlisted, and their work is exhibited in Hong Kong. The winner gets a trophy and 30,000 USD (this year Anida Yoeu Ali from Cambodia has won). The remaining 29 entries are judged by the public, who cast their vote in person or online. The winner is awarded the Schoeni Prize and 1,000 USD. This year it was won by our Pakistani artist Alia Bilgrami; for her entry Diorama Desire.