Art curator Zahra Khan organized Pakistan’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale to promote country's culture

Art curator Zahra Khan, who organized Pakistan’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, is advocating the promotion of the country’s centuries-old culture as a key means of cultural diplomacy.

Intro to Zahra khan

Khan, 35, grew up in Islamabad, graduated in international relations and fine arts from the University of Pennsylvania and the history of art from SOAS, London.

In 2012, she established with her mother an art gallery, Satrang Gallery, in Islamabad and there was no looking back ever since as she has been curating art exhibitions and shows, working seamlessly between Pakistan and the UK.

“A country’s culture is its most profitable good and Pakistan is so lucky because we have centuries of culture. So, why not use it to our advantage!” Khan told Arab News in a telephonic interview from London earlier this week.

“I think there should be a fund dedicated toward supporting arts. There should be a cultural fund that the government sets aside because really there is no greater form of tourism and there is no greater form of cultural diplomacy than the arts.”

She recalled how visitors would come by and say they had no idea of what Pakistan looked like, when she curated the country’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019.