A Public Presence: Selected Photo-Documentation in Zubeida Agha’s Archive
Materials preserved in personal archives are revealing in the manner in which they locate individuals within broader milieus. This is particularly true for the archives of individuals who have a sense and vision for history, and their place within it. Once circulated, they can also counter official narratives and conventional expectations. Within the range of primary materials in art archives, photo-documents have a specific charge as they provide an immediate sense and an “image” of what the artist was looking at and referencing. In pioneering modern artist Zubeida Agha’s personal archive, we see photographs that portray Agha’s role and position in the modern art spaces of Pakistan and the international art scene. This archive situates her not only as an artist, but also as an institution builder. The significance of this is heightened by the fact that there was very little known about her contributions until fairly recently, as her archive remained buried in her home in Islamabad.
Agha and guests at the opening of her 1952 solo exhibition at Galerie Henri Tronche, Paris.
Zubeida Agha was born in 1922 in present-day Faisalabad, and belonged to the first and leading generation of modern painters in Pakistan. Agha’s personal archive was brought into the public circulation as recently as 2015, when Agha’s distant relative, researcher Saira Ansari—under the supervision of art historian Iftikhar Dadi—began the process of locating and digitising the materials through the Lahore Biennale Foundation Research Fellowship. The digitisation of the material was done with the support of The Citizen’s Archive of Pakistan in conjunction with Asia Art Archive, and can be accessed on Asia Art Archive’s website. It not only provides an introduction to Agha’s practice as a painter, but also her initiative in the formation of early fine arts societies and art galleries in the region.
Agha during her study at L'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris between 1951 and 1952.
Agha had a privileged education across Lahore, London, and Paris that enabled her access to influential figures in the art field. One of her earliest solo exhibitions in 1949 put forth her preference for an abstractionist visual vocabulary clearly. The exhibition contributed to a significant shift in the perception of the modern idiom in Pakistan. While exhibiting her own work widely, Agha was also instrumental in establishing and running the Art Galleries, Society of Contemporary Art in Rawalpindi. This was one of the first art galleries to be founded across East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and West Pakistan. She also helped set up the National Art Gallery (which finally opened in 2007, ten years after her passing away).
Left: Agha and three dignitaries at an event.
Right: This photograph was taken at Agha's 1978 exhibition held at her Islamabad residence. The chief guest at the event was the West German Ambassador Dr Ulrich Scheske.
From the note printed on the back of the photograph: “The ‘Asian Artists in Crystal’ exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. N. M. (illegible text), Chief Commissioner of Karachi at the Frere Hall, Friday (October 25) evening. The exhibit will remain open to the public every evening between 4:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. until November 7. Admission will be free. Miss Zubeida Agha (left) well-known Pakistan abstract painter and Mrs Anne Logan, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy are seen discussing the crystal engraving of the Egyptian design.”
In a photograph from the exhibition of Contemporary Pakistani Paintings at Galleria San Fedele, Milan in 1961, Agha is seen standing with a guest while a man records their conversation. The presence of this (anonymous) figure with the camera—and Agha’s clear awareness of him—is intriguing. It opens up several questions about the documentation of art communities and spaces of exhibition. Who records these spaces? Who and what do these documentations capture and visibilise?
In the specific case of Agha’s archive, the digitisation and research process were conducted a long time after she passed away. However, it appears that Agha was meticulous in her record-keeping of administrative materials related to her work in gallery spaces including catalogues, press clippings and ephemera. Her collection of photographs and their purposefulness as documents, therefore, can only be speculated on. Yet there is a clear representation of her institutional presence, and how she was forging and occupying such spaces.
Photograph of Agha with Silvio Springhetti, at the 1961 exhibition held in Milan.
In other, similar photographs, Agha is seen leading exhibition tours, inaugurating exhibitions through speeches, cutting ribbons, receiving awards, and engaging in conversations with dignitaries and artist peers, both in Pakistan and abroad. She appears at ease, often holding papers, or leading a group; her presence in the photographs central and influential. While she is often described as a private person, the photographs in her archive present her public self—an active modern artist spearheading the art scene of a young nation.
Left: Ayub Khan presenting Agha with the President's Pride of Performance Award in 1965.
Right: Accompanied by Agha, Ayub Khan views paintings by Ustad Allah Bakhsh at the President's house in 1962.
Agha at the opening of an exhibition.
To learn more about Agha’s curatorial approach and formative role in early exhibitions in Pakistan, read Off The Shelf | Zubeida Agha with President Ayub Khan by Charlotte Mui in Asia Art Archive’s online journal, IDEAS.
This piece was composed in conversation with and with contributions from Saira Ansari.
All images courtesy of Saira Ansari and Zubeida Agha Archive, Asia Art Archive.
