National College of Arts Lahore has come a long way since 1875 when it was established as the Mayo School of Arts. The premier art education institution of Pakistan is in the process of celebrating its 150 years as NCA Triennale 2025 since last month.
A number of functions and programmes have been and continue to be organized to mark the big historical celebrations.
Events marking the 150th anniversary of the NCA included a series of exhibitions, symposia, performances beginning in October 2025. Besides art related activities as part of the NCA Triennale 2025, while other events have also been held or are going to be organized. These included Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, Spring Festival, seminars and festivals which are planned to be organized till the year end. Other events forming part of the NCA Triennale were Spring Carnival, Independence Day and Maarka-e-Haq celebrations, NCA Jazz Night, Mushaira and poetry session.
The NCA Triennale, according to the information gathered from the NCA website and other sources, was open to applicants across many creative disciplines including visual artists, designers, architects, musicians, film, TV and theatre professionals while there was an open call for applications. The event also included a distinguished gathering of international and local dignitaries, faculty, students and researchers who were in attendance. Specific individuals like German artist and professor Beate Terfloth and resident British artist Louis Holman were explicitly invited for participation in the NCA Triennale activities and programmes.
Many questions arise when one looks upon the above information downloaded from the NCA website. How come that a national institution like the NCA, while organizing a very big event to celebrate 150 years of its existence as The NCA Triennale 2025 spread over several weeks could not invite dignitaries and people belonging to different walks of life on its own to participate in the various events? The NCA management could easily have prepared lists of the prospective invitees from different walks of life and invite them accordingly for participating in one, two or all events of the Triennale celebrations. Why was it rather thought appropriate to leave it to the prospective participants to first apply, then wait for approval from the management before coming to attend their desired events?
At the Triennale 2025 inauguration, it was claimed by the NCA management that more than 200 national and international artists from Europe, China, Iran, the UK and Palestine were invited, besides more guests from other walks of life.. The big question which arises here is whether they were invited by the NCA management or they had applied for participation in the Triennale events according to the conditions laid down?
The NCA management undoubtedly extended direct invitations to artists from Germany and the UK, but somehow did not extend the same courtesy to a number of Pakistani artists in general and world renowned Pakistani artist Jimmy Engineer in particular. How come? Jimmy Engineer’s participation in various Triennale events, on being invited by the institution’s management, would certainly have added colour, grace and prominence.
It was also pointedly stated by some people desirous of attending the events including artists that they were not invited on one account or the other and this quite obviously led to questions about the NCA management’s selection process.
It was just unbelievable that NCA Principal, who has since been transitioned to become the first Vice-Chancellor of the art institution after it was upgraded to a University, and most of the faculty members were not aware about Jimmy Engineer and his marvellous achievements as an artist in about 50 years as a professional artist.
It was also noted by many that the so-called open calls for participation in the Triennale events was intentionally or otherwise not advertised as widely as possible, thus the opportunities for the prospective participants were also limited for updates on the NCA website which possibly had contributed to a lack of viability for the events in the institution.
It was just unbelievable that NCA Principal, who has since been transitioned to become the first Vice-Chancellor of the art institution after it was upgraded to a University, and most of the faculty members were not aware about Jimmy Engineer and his marvellous achievements as an artist in about 50 years as a professional artist.
The world renowned artist, peace activist and social crusader Jimmy Engineer had joined the NCA after initial education in St Anthony High School. But he had left it when he was in the final year saying he wanted to live life as an artist and not with a degree.
Jimmy Engineer has held a number of his own paintings exhibitions not only in the NCA but also in the adjacent premises of the Educational Auditorium and the Museum besides visiting other paintings exhibitions as well from time to time.He had last held his paintings exhibition in the NCA’s Zahoorul Akhlaq Gallery as recently as in May 2024 and NCA Vice -Chancellor and faculty members were duly present at its inauguration.
As such, the ongoing NCA Triennale 2025 events had been and were being badly managed and organized by the institution’s management to say the least please.
There is no denying the fact that the glorious achievements of Jimmy Engineer as an artist par excellence were surely and certainly not matched by any living or deceased Pakistani artist. This can easily be confirmed and seen by anyone by visiting Jimmy Engineer’s website and downloading a lot of art related information from there. But the NCA management somehow had preferred to remain ignorant of Jimmy Engineer ‘s artistic and other achievements and did not invite him for attending the Triennale celebrations.
Jimmy Engineer had turned professional as a painter in 1976. His paintings are in private collections in a number of foreign countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Italy , United Kingdom (UK), France , Switzerland, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Russia, Holland, Spain, Germany, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, India, Oman, China, Belarus, Kuwait, Qatar, Vietnam, Nepal, Malaysia, Norway, Ireland, Hungary, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada, USA, South Africa, , as well as in Pakistan, in fact in every part of the world.
He has so far made over 3000 paintings, about 1000 abstract and more than 1000 calligraphies , over 1500 drawings. He has also donated a large number of over seven lakhs prints of his art work for different charities all over the which are in private collections in more than 60 countries around the globe.
He has held more than 120 art exhibitions in Pakistan and abroad. He has led more than 200 walks for numerous noble causes and has also arranged more than 260 awareness programmes for handicapped and orphan children.
Artist and social worker Jimmy Engineer has received a pretty large number of awards and medals in his long illustrious career since 1976.He has received more than 130 shields of honour, awards and medals of honour from Pakistan and abroad. Important awards amongst these are The All Punjab Painting First Prize in 1978, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Islamabad Award in 1981,The National Award for Minorities in 1983, The International Rotary Youth Leadership Award 1986-87, National Endowment of the Arts Award USA 1988, Gold Medal presented by International Rotary Club in 1997, Human Rights Medal presented by Human Rights Society of Pakistan in 2000, Civil Award Sitara-e-Imtiaz by Pakistan Government in 2005, The Peace Ambassadors Medal by China World Peace Foundation Beijing in 2016, Ambassador for Peace Award by the Universal Peace Federation and Women Federation for Peace ,Canada in 2018, Jinnah Award by the Jinnah Society of Pakistan in 2018, Poet Habib Jalib Peace Award in 2019, and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2025.
In all fairness no other Pakistani artist has received such a large number of honours., awards and medals like Jimmy Engineer to the best knowledge of this scribe.
