Faculty and Staff

Permanent Faculty

• Dean MDSVAD
  Prof. Rashid Rana

  

  Visual Artist | Dean – Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design
  Head of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies

  • BFA (Fine Arts), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Fine Art, Massachusetts College of Art, USA
  • Studies in Fashion Design, La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, Paris, France

   

  Widely considered to be one of the leading artists of his generation in South Asia today, Rashid Rana emerged as the maker of an entirely new kind of art from Pakistan, at the start of this century. Notable for his ideas, imagery, and pictorial strategies, Rashid Rana has exhibited extensively at various galleries and museums globally. His works are in various public and private collections including the British Museum London, Metropolitan Museum New York, Fukuoka Museum of Art, Japan and Saatchi Collection, London. He is the recipient of the prestigious Game-Changer Asia Art Award and was awarded International Artist of the Year by SAVAC Canada in 2003.

  Primarily known for his art practice, Rashid Rana occupies multiple simultaneous profiles. He mediates between artist, curator and an academic with a common thread of an unfixed and non-prescriptive view of geography and identity. He is a founding faculty member and currently the Dean of the School of Visual Arts and Design at BNU, Lahore.

Professors

• Risham Hosain Syed | Visual Artist
  Head of Department - Visual Arts

  

  • BA (PU)
  • BFA (Fine Arts), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Fine Art, Royal College of Fine Art, London, U.K.

   

  Risham Syed is a visual artist who currently also heads the Visual Arts Department at the School of Visual Arts & Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan.

  Risham has a diverse art practice in which painting and other mediums are employed to explore questions of history and politics. Her native city plays a pivotal role in her work, as do related inquiries into what the colonial history of the region means to today’s global south. She explores these questions using her painting as pieces of a greater, often global context through installation and engages objects, borders, margins, frames with social reference and connotation. Her use of fabric, embroidery, found objects, along with her painting speak about her connection with the personal, as well as historical, weaving in history with the present moment.

  Risham has shown extensively in major national and international exhibitions including the Manchester Art Gallery, ABRAAJ Capital Art Prize, Dubai, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, Asia Pacific Triennial Brisbane, Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art, China, Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi, National Gallery of Art, Islamabad, National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, Harris Museum, Preston, Barbican Center, London and the Fukuoka Triennial, Japan.

  Ms. Risham is the recipient of the prestigious ABRAAJ Capital Art Prize(2012). Her works are part of important public and private collections. Her recent projects include her solo show at Manchester Art Gallery in Manchester where her work conversed with the permanent collection of 18th, 19th Century painting.

  Risham is a graduate of the National College of Arts, Lahore and has an MA from the Royal College of Art, London.

• Quddus Mirza

Associate Professors

• Kiran Farooq Khan | Textile Designer
  Head of Department - Textile, Fashion and Accessory Design

  

  • B.Des, National College of Arts, Lahore
  • Studies in Textile Design, Accessories and Fashion Drawing, La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, France
  • M.Sc Linguistics, Beaconhouse National University 2014

   

  Kiran Khan is an associate professor and  head of the Textile, Fashion and Accessory Department at BNU. She initially did a bachelor of design from National College of Arts; Lahore in textiles where her thesis titled, "The World Beyond the Senses" was awarded a distinction. She was also awarded the prestigious, Percy Brown Award for Art History and two gold medals for her performances as part of the NCA puppet team, called The Puppeteers NCA. She joined the Pakistan School of Fashion Design ( PSFD) now PIFD where she taught for eight years and developed the textile curriculum. During her time at PIFD she went to Paris to pursue further studies in textile design, accessories and fashion drawing from La Chambre Syndicale De la Couture, France. She was also selected by JETRO, Japanese External Trade Organization for further training at Bunka College of Fashion, Tokyo.

  She joined BNU in 2004 and established the textile design department. She has been with BNU for 16 years now since its inception. She has had training in conservation of textiles and completed her Master’s Degree in Linguistics from BNU in 2014 which she feels is an essential link between the language and arts. She feels that "all textiles convey a different story and it is this story we understand through language". The department of textiles is actively engaged in craft revival and was awarded the esteemed international Mac Jannet Prize by Tallories Network for a community craft Project called the “Humnawa Project” in collaboration with Sungi and Bunyaad under the Punjab Skills Development Programme to empower women of Southern Punjab. She developed a curriculum on “Innovative Design” for empowering rural women, a joint venture with Kaarvan Craft Foundation. This project  with Kaarvan Craft Foundation is on the same structural model as “Humnawa”- - whereby 1600 women will be trained in clusters. The curriculum designed will serve as a template to provide exposure and encourage innovative thinking for all under-served craft practitioners in South East Asia.

  She was Artist in Residence, at Art Address, Oakville, Ontario Canada, in July 2018. She also designs for the textile sector and has developed designs for Mausummery Lawn, Sitara Textiles, and Five Star Lawn. She runs her personal- Embellishment Design Studio engaging local embroidery craftsmen and develops custom-made hand-embroidered textiles.

• Nadia Ghawas

• Rohma Khan | Textile Designer

  

  • B.Des (Textile Design), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Rohma Khan is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator and researcher associated with the Textile, Fashion and Accessory (TFA) Department at MDSVAD. Trained in Textile Design and Art Education, she has developed a keen interest in studying the shifting paradigms of design pedagogy between vernacular craft, commercial design and contemporary artistic expression. She has led several collaborations between the TFA students of BNU and design institutes in Europe working on sustainable fashion while actively engaging in local community outreach initiatives rooted in craft revival and empowering women through honing their skills for employability.

  Her steered project, “Humnawa'' won the MacJAnnet Prize by Talloires Network, Tufts University. Her interest in textiles spans across time from deep-historical to futuristic wearable technology which reflects in the diversity of her practice; ranging from training in e-textiles at the prestigious Les Moulins de Paillard, France to laying the foundations for the design department at Sapphire Textile Mills, Lahore to designing curriculum for artisan training in rural areas of Pakistan - while continuing her research in both traditional and contemporary design discourse.

  Her academic and artistic practice has been selected and showcased at various reputed institutes across the globe including Memphis College of Art and Design, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Textile Society at America (17th Biennale symposium) The Reach Gallery, Vancouver, CA along with publications at ArtNow Pakistan. She conceived, executed and directed Nothing Fest which is a week-long festival of talks and talk-shops that brings together professionals from diverse backgrounds to engage with students in unconventional learning formats at BNU. Moreover, she has been a key panelist at various academic conferences and round-tables hosted by reputed institutes in Pakistan such as LUMS, AKU-IED, IVS, PIFD and NCA. She played an indelible role in laying ground-work of the Design Summit at SVAD, BNU.

• Aarish Sardar | Design Educator, Researcher & Multimedia Consultant
  Head of Department - Visual Communication Design

  

  • BFA (Fine Arts), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA (Multimedia Arts), National College of Arts Lahore
  • MA (Communication Design), Kingston University London, U.K.

   

  Aarish Sardar is a design educator & an interdisciplinary creative practitioner. He holds a BFA in Fine Arts (2000) and MA in Multimedia Arts (2003) from National College of Arts, Lahore. Aarish went to UK to do his MA in Communication Design from Kingston University London (2006) after few years’ experience as an Associate Producer at GEO TV Lahore. He is currently teaching at the Dept. of Visual Communication Design in the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design of Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore. Aarish has completed limited modules of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ – Level 3) UK, i.e. Children Safeguarding and National Open College Networks (NOCN) UK in Communication & Conflict Management.

  Aarish has worked as a communication designer & a multimedia consultant with clienteles internationally from USA, UK to Pakistan and beyond, like Sophia Learning, Autograph ABP, Hulton Archives (Getty Images), DFID UK, Linge Roset, Eugene Dodd Typographics (EDT), Woolpack Inn, Hamptons of London, Aconflag Group Europe and Salt’n’Pepper Restaurants (PAK/UK) to name a few. An important book design and art direction project to date is a monograph “& She Wandered” centred on the acclaimed academic & a visual artist Farida Batool’s art practices, published in Mar 2020.

  Aarish has exhibited his interdisciplinary works in various group shows at Kunj Art Gallery (Karachi), Rohtas Gallery (Islamabad), Corydon Clock Tower Gallery (London), Bermondsey Gallery (London), School of Tomorrow exhibition held at the Royal Palm Club (Lahore) and at Alhmara Art Gallery (Lahore) as part of the group show Crossovers.

Assistant Professors

• Ammar Shahid | Fashion Designer

  

  • B. Des (Fashion Design) Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design, Lahore

   

  Ammar Shahid is a dynamic practicing couturier and runs a design house by the name of Ammar Shahid Couture. This PIFD graduate’s audacious approach towards design has exalted the power and prestige of his design house. He has participated in numerous fashion weeks and exhibited exciting collections for over a decade.

  He likes to challenge perplexity and vitalizes experimentation in his work, and teaching methodologies. His divergent nature has helped him to elevate his sense of interpretation of design through the lens of fashion and culture.

  Work experience with brands like HSY, US Apparel, Stone-age Jeans, Libas, Outfitters, SMEDA, and many Start-ups has developed him into a polymath of Fashion and Design. During the 12 years of teaching experience Ammar Shahid has taught a diverse range of courses. He is currently teaching Creative Draping, Pattern Making, Trend Forecasting, Fashion Illustration, Styling and Accessory Design and also working very closely with the final year students at the Maryam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design at BNU.

• Mr. Ahsan Nazir

  

  • Bachelor of Art in Fashion Design, Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne), Lahore
  • Master of Fine Art in Fashion Design, Academy of Art University, San Fransico, USA

  
  

  Mr. Ahsan Nazir is an Assistant Professor at MDSVAD. Muhammad Ahsan Nazir has graduated with a Master of Fine Art in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University, San Fransico, and holds a Bachelor of Art in fashion design from Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne). His distinctive signature has evolved as a fusion of prints, embellishments, eclectic colors, refined luxury, and attention to detail. Since then, he has taken upon a journey full of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. His luxury fashion house is involved in the design, manufacturing, retail of apparel (couture and pret-a-porter) and currently has a global customer portfolio.

   

• Aroosa Naz Rana | Visual Artist

  

  • BFA (Fine Arts), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

  Aroosa Naz Rana is a visual artist and an educator. She received her BFA from The National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan in 2003 and Masters Degree in Art Education from The Beaconhouse National University in 2017.

  Aroosa has exhibited her works in several national and international shows. A few selected shows are; VM Gallery Pakistan 2004. “Subverting Desire” Solo | Rohtas 2 Gallery | Lahore | Pakistan 2007, “Crossing Over” Gallery Latitude 28 India 2013, “Suspended Disbelief” Solo | Rohtas 2 Gallery | Lahore | Pakistan 2013, “Extra/ Ordinary” | Canvas Gallery Pakistan 2013, Dhaka Art Summit | Dhaka | Bangladesh 2014, Stills of Peace and Everyday Life | Museum Capitolare di Arti | Italy 2014, Group Show, ILF | Islamabad | Pakistan 2014, Colombo Art Biennale | Sri Lanka 2016. Art for Education” by TCF | Museo Diocesano Carlo Maria Martini di Milan| Italy 2018, Solo project | Celebration Square Mississauga, Mosaic Festival | Mississauga | Canada 2018, “Microcosm 3” |Ghandra Art Gallery| Karachi | Pakistan 2019, “View Within” Solo | Canvas Gallery | Karachi | Pakistan 2020. LB2 – Collateral Event |Sagar Plaza Colony | Lahore | Pakistan 2020.

  She is currently an assistant professor at MDSVAD, Beaconhouse National University. She also taught at National College of Arts (2005- 2008).

• Zoona Khan

• Muniza Zafar

• Mahbub Jhokio

• Ayaz Jokyio | Painter

  

  • BFA (Fine Arts), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Ayaz Jokhio is an artist. He did his graduation in Fine Arts/Painting from National College of Arts Lahore in 2001 and Masters in Art Education from SVAD, BNU in 2018. Jokhio has participated in numerous art residencies, fellowships, exhibitions and other projects in various countries of the world, which include dozen of solo exhibitions as well. His practice incorporates various techniques and mediums but painting has always been a recurrent medium in his art practice. Jokhio has been teaching at SVAD since 2006.

• Iman Sheikh | Educator

  

  • B. Des (Textile and Fibre Studies), Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • M.Phil Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Iman Sheikh is an Assistant Professor at the Textile, Fashion and Accessory Design Department at BNU. She initially did a bachelor of design from BNU, SVAD in textiles where her thesis titled, "Encapsulated by a Sphere" was awarded a distinction. She joined Beaconhouse National University as an Assistant Professor since 2009. In 2016, she completed her M.Phil in Education from BNU's School of Education, and was awarded a distinction on her research which was on “The Role of Design Academics in Facilitating Artisans to Recognize the Value of their Craft” which has helped her streamline her teaching skills. She has been part of developing a curriculum on “Innovative Design” for empowering rural women, a joint venture with Kaarvan Craft foundation. She also designs for the textile sector and has developed designs for Lawn and home textiles. She launched an online clothes brand called Pop-Shop Pakistan in 2015 and also has her personal design studio for prêt, semi formal and casual ethnic-wear by her own name. She recently has launched a new brand called Zevar Pakistan offering handcrafted Indian costume jewelry online.

• Matt Kushan | Visual Artist
  Program Head Foundation Studies

  

  • BFA Photography, School of Visual Arts, NY, USA
  • MFA Photography, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston, USA

   

  Matt Kushan received a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, New York City and an MFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA. His photography, video, and new media artwork has been exhibited across the USA, UK, and South Asia, and he is a recent recipient of the IFTCF Emerging Artists Competition, Milan, Italy. He has collaborated on projects such as “100 Years of Alan Turing”, a coding collaboration at The University of Salford in Manchester, UK, "Rooted/Paivasta", a public art project in the Bagh-e-Jinnah Lahore, Pakistan, and Reading Between the Lines, a site-specific multimedia exhibit at the Gallow Gate, Glasgow, UK. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor in the Fine Art Department at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan.

• Mehbub Shah | Visual Artist

  

  • B.FA (Fine Arts), National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Art Education, BNU, Lahore

   

  Mahbub Shah  is a visual artist, art educator and translator, currently living and working in Lahore. A graduate of NCA, he has been working with SVAD at BNU since 2005 where he later completed his MA in Art Education. His work, which investigates the uses and abuses of visual representation and the relationship between imaginary and real in current era of omnipresent images, has been part of several national and international exhibitions.

   

• Pakeeza Khan | Fashion Designer, Educator
  Program Head Fashion

  

  • B.Des (Fashion Design) Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design
  • Candidate for M.Sc Textile Design, University of Management and Technology, Lahore

   

  Pakeeza Khan is the Programme Head for Fashion at BNU. She is a distinction holder from the Pakistan School of Fashion Design (now PIFD) affiliated with Ecole De La Chambre Syndicale De La Couture Parisienne, and currently enrolled in Masters in Textiles from UMT. As an outstanding student she was selected to represent Asia at fashion competition in 1997 in Belgium. She has more than two decades of professional experience of providing innovative product design solutions both locally as well as internationally. She was the  product development manager and designer at Sapphire and then at Nina industries. She had also worked in Bahrain as head designer at Gul Garments.

  She has an extensive teaching experience starting from PIFD to BNU where she established the fashion department with her team. While at PIFD she received training at Ecole De La Chambre Syndicale De La Couture Parisienne in 2008 and had curriculum training of 3 years by the German expert Mr. Lenschow (2005-2008). She has vast experience in the craft sector. She initially developed embroidery lines for Elegance Craft and then at Din Industries launched brands like BTW. She worked with Kaarvan Craft and worked on empowering women and creating models for craft communities by developing an online portal for craft products. She has been a part of in-numerous training sessions all over Pakistan to empower women through design thinking and training.

• Unum Babar | Visual Artist, Educator

  

  • BFA Visual Arts, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • MFA in Studio for Interrelated Media, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston, USA

   

  Unum Babar’s work spans across many different media, from video installation to drawing. She has exhibited nationally, as well as internationally in the US, UK, India, South Korea and Canada, and has work in collections like the Devi Art Foundation in Delhi. Along with her solo practice, she also produces work in collaboration with Matt Kushan, including a permanent public art project located within the historic Lawrence Gardens of Lahore. She received her BFA and a Postgraduate Diploma in Art Education from Beaconhouse National University in Lahore. Subsequently, she received an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2013 as a Fulbright Scholar, where the Boston Globe featured her as one of Boston’s rising young artists. She is currently Assistant Professor at Beaconhouse National University, teaching in both the Foundation Studies and Visual Art Departments, and lives and works in Lahore.

• Zainab Saghir Barlas | Visual Communication Designer, Researcher

  

  • BFA (Communication Design) National College of Arts, Lahore
  • MA Art and Design Studies, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Zainab Saghir Barlas is a Lahore based Visual Communication Designer and a Design Educator. She is an alumna of the National College of Arts, Pakistan from where she received her Bachelor’s in Design in 2003. Zainab has worked for some of the top advertising agencies in Lahore like Evernew Concepts, Red Communications Arts, and Orient McCann Erickson. She went on to complete her MA in Art and Design Studies from Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan in 2017. She is currently an Assistant Professor at BNU-SVAD and teaches under-graduate thesis candidates at the Dept. of Visual Communication Design.

  Zainab has shown her work nationally in group shows at Alhamra, Lahore and National Art Gallery, PNCA, Islamabad. She is also a part of the core team for Design Summit, a unique event organized by BNU-SVAD to bring together a range of design disciplines to generate critical discourse on design.

• Zil E Batool | Jewellery Designer
  Administrative Assistant to Dean

  

  • MA Art and Design Studies, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • B. Des Jewelry & Accessory Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • BSC IT, Punjab University Lahore

   

  Zil E Batool is the recipient of various scholarships and awards including Certificate of Honor in Master in Arts and Design Studies(2016), Distinction in B.Des Jewelry & Accessory Design(2011), Dean's Honor for the Thesis Show(2015) and UMISAA Scholarship by South Asian Foundation (SAF)(2015).

  She was selected as a South Asian Contemporary Jewelry Designer in the 52nd Sainte Marie-aux-Mines Minerals & Gems Show 2015, Alsace, France. Zil participated as a young women entrepreneur for the seminar “The Role of Women in Fighting Poverty” at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France in June 2015. She established a new section of product design in COMSATS University, Lahore at the department of design and architecture in 2014.

  She participated in HVH Artist Residency, Hunza, Pakistan in September 2014. Worked as a designer with Kyanite Pty Ltd, Australia & De Mairo pvt ltd, Hong Kong from 2011-2013. She participated as a member of Curriculum Development Committee (CDC) at TEVTA in 2009.

  She has exhibited her artworks at galleries in Spain, France and Pakistan. She owns a Jewelry brand by the name Zil_ Jewelry & Accessories. She has spearheaded a number of interior and exterior design projects. She worked as a senior coordinator at  Lahore Grammar School. She has been teaching at a number of universities as an an Assistant Professor including Beaconhouse National University, National College of Arts, COMSATS, Pakistan School of Fashion Design and University of Management and Technology. She has been the line producer & senior fashion stylist for KALAKAR Entertainment Film Pakistan. Apart from teaching at BNU, she is also working as an Administrative Assistant to Dean-MDSVAD.

Lecturers

• Aman Asif | Visual Artist
  Senior Lecturer

  

  • B.Des Visual Communication Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • Masters in Creative Sustainability, Aalto University, Finland

   

  Aman Asif is a multidisciplinary designer/researcher with a focus on sustainable design practices that seek to benefit socio-ecological systems. She completed her Bachelors in Visual Communication Design from Beaconhouse National University graduating with a distinction and gold medal. Aman later went on to pursue her Masters Degree in Creative Sustainability from Aalto University, Finland.

  Aman has also shown her work in the Biocolor- Exploring Sustainable Colour exhibition held in Rovaniemi, Finland. Her project on Carbon Capturing Biomaterials was part of the exhibition: Design for a Cooler Planet held during the Helsinki Design week in 2020 and later in 2021. Prior to her masters degree she has worked as a designer and illustrator with varying work experience in projects regarding design for social change and visual storytelling.

• Jannat Khalid | Senior Lecturer

• Mr. Ammar Faiz | Visual Artist
  Senior Lecturer

  

  • B.Des Visual Communication Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • Master of Art and Design Studies, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Mr. Ammar Faiz is a Senior Lecturer at MDSVAD. He received his Bachelors of Visual Arts in 2015 from BNU and completed a Masters in Art and Design Studies with distinction in 2018. He has been working in the alma mater since 2016 in various capacities.

  Ammar experiments with various mediums of experiential expressions including moving image, film and audio documentation, drawings, multi-faceted installations and collages. His art practice is embedded in anthropological themes underlying intangible cultural settings of the communities residing at the borders of urbanization and rural pockets.

  He has exhibited at various international shows including New Wight Biennial UCLA, Los Angeles, US, The Image Show in Tanzania, traveling exhibition ‘Make Being Radical’ tour show in Netherland and AMP Gallery London, UK. His local shows include The Factory Show (2022) at Sundar Industrial Estate, Three Sixty Five (2022), Singer Not the Song (2021) at Dominion Gallery, Lahore, Islamabad Art Fair (2019), Making History (2018), Amalgamation (2017) and What Belongs To You (2016) at Sanat Gallery, Karachi, Common Fabric, (2015) at Rohtas II, Lahore and Dialogue 1 (2011), Alhamra Art Center, Lahore. His films have been screened at Reykjavík International Film Festival (2017), Reykjavík, Iceland, Ozark Short Film Festival (2016), Lamar, USA, Salair International Independent FILM Festival (2016), Russia and Visionaria (2015), Italy. He won ADA awards 2020-2021 in the Video Art category.

• Aatiqa Sheikh | Art Educator
  Senior Lecturer | Program Coordinator Master of Art Education (MA AE)

  

  • MA English Literature, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
  • Master of Art Education , Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Ms. Aatikah Sheikh has joined as a Senior Lecturer. She is an art educator with diverse faculties in pedagogy and research. She is also the Program Coordinator for Master of Art Education in Department of Graduate & Interdisciplinary Studies at SVAD.

  Aatiqa has taught at Beaconhouse School System, Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design and Beaconhouse National University in various capacities. She completed her masters in English Literature from Punjab University and master of Art Education with a distinction in research from SVAD (Beaconhouse National University).

  She is the co-founder of an inclusivity research collective Covert Overt.She’s also, a part of core team of an art education project in collaboration with BNU-TEF (Tareen Education Foundation) to ensure improved teaching and learning practices in Public Schools of Southern Punjab. She recently presented her research work in 13th Humanities & Social Science Conference at LUMS. She was a part of a project as Site Lead for developing Student Resource to inculcate interfaith harmony and religious tolerance in Punjab in collaboration with GOP, World Bank and UNESCO.

• Durre Shehwar | Art Educator
  Senior Lecturer

  

  • Bachelors in Industrial Design from the School of Art, Design & Architecture, NUST, Islamabad
  • Masters Degree in Design (Research Specialization), Bern University of Art, Switzerland

   

  Durre Shehwar is a Creative Practitioner with a multidisciplinary background in Industrial Design, Performance, Design Research, and UX Design. She completed her Bachelors in Industrial Design from the School of Art, Design & Architecture at NUST with a High Achiever’s Award. She then went on to pursue a fully-funded Masters Degree in Design (Research Specialization) from Bern University of Arts in Switzerland. Durre has also received diplomas in UX Design Research and Human-Centered Design from The Design Lab at UC San Diego.

  Durre is passionate about the social impact of design and how products can be seen as performative objects. Her recent research was an inquiry on the loss of tangibility and changes in social order due to the automation of certain services, especially in the times of the recent pandemic. Prior to joining BNU, Durre has been designing products for various national and international companies, ranging from Indoor Plantation units to Assistive limbs for paraplegics.

• Gulnaz | Lecturer

• Mehmil Ishtiaq | Lecturer

• Mian Waleed | Lecturer

• Ghulam Muhammad | Visual Artist

  

  • BFA Visual Arts, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • MA Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Ghulam Mohammad is a Visual Artist from Lahore, Pakistan. He graduated with distinction in Fine Arts from Beaconhouse National University Lahore in 2013. During his student days, he was selected for Inspire Trip to University of Central Lancashire (student exchange program under British Council). He did his Masters In Art Education form Beaconhouse National University in 2017. Currently he is teaching as a Lecturer in Fine Arts department at Beaconhouse National University.

  Mohammad was awarded the Beaconhouse Emerging Talent Award for Art, Lahore Literary Festival in 2015. In 2016 he was awarded the Jameel Art Prize 4 from Victoria & Albert Museum London. He has participated as a judge for Bahrain Annual Fine Art Exhibition in January 2017. He was a jury member of Jameel prize 5, Victoria & Albert Museum London 2018.

  Selected Exhibitions: 2020 Solo show, Canvas Art Gallery Karachi Pakistan, Tamaam. 2019 Solo show, Aicon Art Gallery, Newyark Gunjaan 2018 Solo show, Grosvenor Art Gallery, Peeha, 2017 Solo show, Canvas Art Gallery Karachi Pakistan 2016 Solo show, Rohtas 2 Gallery Lahore, Pakistan, Chaan-Been. 2015 Solo show, Kutub-Khana at Sanat Art Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan 2017 Group show, The Past As Present, Gandhara Art Space, Karachi 2015 Group show, Lahore Literary Festival, Lahore 2014 Group show, Sanat Art Gallery, Karachi 2014 Group show, Art Hub, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2014 Group show, After Past, Canvas Art Gallery Karachi, Pakistan 2014 Group show, Satrang Art Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan 2010 Group show,Ejaz Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan 2009 Group show, Hamail Art Gallery, Lahore, Pakistan and 2009 Group show, Arts Council Quetta, Pakistan.

• Hifsa Farooq | Visual Artist
  Academic Advisor

  

  • BFA Visual Arts, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Hifsa Farooq graduated from Beaconhouse National University in 2015, and has been working both as a full time faculty member as well as the Academic Advisor at her alma mater. Along with her full time job she continues her art practice and has showcased both nationally and internationally, some of which include Brierfield library, UK, TCC Gallery, USA, Artery Gallery, Czech Republic and Alhamra Gallery and Rohtas 2 in Lahore. She has been a part of residencies namely, ‘Creative Interruptions’ and ‘Mansion’. ‘Creative Interruptions’ included artist from Canada, India and Pakistan working on the theme of partition of the subcontinent. The outcome of the residency will be in the form of a group exhibition in June 2020 at ‘The Reach’ gallery museum, Abbotsford, Canada. In 2017, she also got selected to do two government design projects, one for ‘Violence Against Women Center’ and the other for ‘Shehr-e-Khamoshan’ (graveyard project).

• Komal Naz | Visual Artist

  

  • BFA Visual Arts, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • Candidate for MA Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Senior lecturer Komal Naz, is a part of Beaconhouse National University since 2008. She completed her graduation as a Performing Artist from Beaconhouse National University in 2012. Right after completing her degree she taught various Foundation and 2nd year courses including 2-Dimentional Studio, 3-Dimentioanl Studio and Drawing through History. Currently, she is teaching Prototyping: Concept to Form and 3D Construction through Draping and Pattern. She is also enrolled in MA Art Education summer program at BNU.

  As an artist, she has been a part of different group exhibitions and projects. She also did Performance Art Intensive residency at The Tetley in 2017, where she was one of the twelve performance artists from South Asia, as part of the New North and South network.

• Mr. Umair Abbasi | Visual Artist
  Senior Lecturer

  

  • B.Des Visual Communication Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  • Master of Art Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

   

  Mr. Umair Abbasi is a Senior Lecturer in the Visual Communication Department at MDSVAD. Umair Abbasi is a multidisciplinary designer, design educator and researcher based in Lahore, Pakistan. After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication Design from the School of Visual Arts & Design in 2018, where he was on the Dean's Honour List. He went on to complete his Masters in Art Education from BNU, Lahore in 2021 and graduated with a distinction. Through his primary practice which is situated within Typography Design & Research, Umair has explored themes such as imagined spaces, culture and society, and intrapersonal experiences through design theory and typography.

  Umair has worked as a communication design lead at GENERATION, where he was tasked with implementing and refreshing the company’s visual design identity and campaign + packaging design. Following his tenure at Generation, Umair joined MDSVAD.

Visiting Faculty

• Ahmar Iqbal | Computer Consultant
• Ammar Faiz | Visual Artist
• Anam Khurram | Textile Designer
• Anushka Rustomji | Visual Artist
• Ayesha Sohail | Illustrator / Type Designer
• Basir Mahmood | Visual Artist
• Dania Farooq | Graphic Designer
• Daud Randle | Marketing Specialist, Musician
• Ebaa Khurram | Designer
• Faheem Ahmed | Animator, Creative Director
• Farwa Ali | Fashion Designer
• Hala Bashir | Architect
• Haider Ali Jan | Visual Artist
• Hamra Abbas | Visual Artist
• Hamza Rana | Visual Artist
• Hashim Kaleem | Researcher & Educationist
• Hina Muzzafar Shah | Designer
• Jaffer Hussain | Designer, Creative Director
• Jannat Sohail | Educator
• Kamran Nawaz Malik | Textile Technologist 
• Maham Khan | Illustrator
• Mina Arham | Visual Artist
• Mirela Peerzada | Puppeteer, Sculptor
• Nabeel Akhtar | Fashion & Styling Consultant
• Dr. Nasreen Rahman | Historian, Translator & Writer
• Natasha Jozi | Performance Artist
• Omer Ahad | Animator
• Rabbya Naseer | Visual Artist, Curator & Writer
• Dr Saadat Ali | Molecular Biologist
• Sadaf Chugtai | Designer, Illustrator
• Saima Rana | Marketing Consultant
• Salima Hashmi HD | Educationist, Visual Artist
• Sana Aziz | Jewellery Designer
• Sana Iqbal | Visual Artist
• Sana Khan | Textile Designer
• Sana Waqqar | Visual Artist
• Shanza Ellahi | Artist & Art Academic
• Sidra Reza | Designer
• Sonia Kashmiri | Fashion Designer 
• Sahr Bashir | Jewelry & Accessory Designer
• Taimur Yousaf | Animator
• Umair Abbasi | Designer 
• Umair Khan | Animator
• Umena Hasan | Visual Artist
• Waleed Zafar | Visual Artist
• Zain Naqvi | Illustrator
• Mehreen Hasham | Lecturer
• Dr. Nadeem | Professor

Adjunct Faculty

• Adnan Madani
• Ahsan Masood
• Amar Alam
• Amar Kanwar
• Amber Sami
• Aneeka Cheema
• Asad Hayee
• Asma Abbas
• Asma Mundrawala
• Attiq Ahmed
• Ayesha Vellani
• Danish Jabbar Khan
• Dr. Farida Batool
• Dr. Shabnam Khan
• Dr. Samina Iqbal
• Dr. Virginia Whiles
• Fahad Hussayn
• Faizaan Naveed
• Fatima Haider
• Hamza Bajwa
• Iftikhar Dadi
• Ismet Jawad Khawaja
• Ijlal Muzaffar
• Iram Sana
• Kamiar Rokni
• Kathleen Mulligan
• Mariam Suhail Abbasi
• Maryam Hussain
• Masooma Syed
• Mehreen Murtaza
• Mohammad Ali Talpur
• Mohsin Shafi
• Naiza Khan
• Nausheen Saeed
• Nurjahan Akhlaq
• Prof. Nazish Attaullah
• Qudsia Rahim
• Saba Khan
• Saba Qizilbash
• Sadeqain
• Sana Obaid
• Shalalae Jamil
• Waqar Aziz
• Zarmina Rafi
• Zaineb Siddique
• Zoya Hasan
• Aisha Abid | Sr. Assistant Professor
• Yasmeen Zahra | Assistant Professor
• Zeb Bilal | Assistant Professor
• Rabeya | Associate Professor

Director UMISAA (UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute for South Asian Arts)
Professor Emeritus

• Professor Salima Hashmi

  

  Visual Artist, Critic, Curator, Former Principal National College of Arts

  • MA Art Education, Rhode Island School of Design, USA
  • Diploma Art Education, Bath Academy of Art, Bristol University, U.K.

   

  A recipient of the Pride of Performance Award in 1999, Prof. Salima Hashmi is an internationally renowned Pakistani artist, writer, art historian, art curator and educationist. She taught at National College of Arts for 31 years before working as its principal for four years. She is one of the key persons who founded Beaconhouse National University and School of Visual Arts and Design. She is a reputed painter whose works have been exhibited in Pakistan and in international exhibitions. She has written extensively on the arts, and has curated exhibitions of contemporary art and traditional textile.

Academic & Professional Advisors

• Dr. Catherine Wilson (EdD)

  • Associate Professor, Director Art Education Programs, Memphis College of Art, USA

• Dr. Farida Batool

  • Professor & Head of Cultural Studies Department, National College of Arts

• Iftikhar Dadi

  • Associate Professor, Department of History of Art, Cornell University

• Kamiar Rokni

  • Creative Director, The House of Kamiar Rokni

• Professor Naazish Ata-ullah

  • Senior Fellow, SVAD Visual Artist, Former Principal, National College of Arts

• Jaffer Hussain Jafry

  • Founder, Director, CCO, OffRoad Studios

• Osman Waheed

  • Chairman, Lahore Biennale Foundation

• Quddus Mirza

  • Professor, Head of Fine Arts Department, National College of Arts

• Raza Ali Dada

  • Managing Partner, Architect, Nayyar Ali Dada & Associates

• Shehnaz Ismail

  • Dean of Design, Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture

• Syed Faheem Ahmed

  • Group GM Creative, 24 News, City42, City41 and Rohi TV

MDSVAD Administrative Staff

• Hifsa Farooq

  • Academic Advisor

• Zil E Batool

  • Administrative Assistant to Dean

• Syed Tughral

  • Admin & Finance Coordinator

• Ghulam Haider

  • Academic Coordinator

• Aatiqa Sheikh

  • Program Coordinator MA Art Ed

Teaching and Research Fellow

• Mainul Islam | Fibre Artist

  • SAARC Fellow

• Ammar Faiz | Visual Artist

  • AV Lab Supervisor

• Imran Ahmed Khan | Visual Artist

  • Installation & 3D-Lab Supervisor

Technical & Studio Assistants

• Aamer Ali | Loom Technician, Craftsman 
• Hammad Iqbal | AV Lab Assistant 
• Altaf Hussain | Senior Technical 3D Lab Assistant 
• Asif Hamdani | Sewing Technician 
• Asif Hanif | I.T Support Engineer 
• Ghulam Rasool | Weaving Craftsman 
• Manzoor Maseeh | Peon 
• Mubashir Salman | In-charge Foundation Lab 
• Munir Gill | Textile Studio Attendant 
• Muhammad Nasir Iqbal | IT Support Engineer 
• Najam Ahmad | 3D Lab Attendant
• Pervaiz Maseeh | Photography Studio Attendant
• Rafiq Maseeh | VCD Studio Attendant
• Shaukat Hanif | 3-D Studio Attendant
• Syed Basit Hussain | Drawing & Fashion Studio Attendant
• Tariq Khalil | Jewellery Studio Technical Assistant
• Usman Maseehl | Peon