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Dileep Permar

Launched in 2023, the Arts Residency Grants Programme was developed in direct response to feedback from Pakistan’s arts sector, which called for greater opportunities for artists to develop their practice and broaden their engagement. Designed to meet this need and grow UK-PK collaborations, the programme has supported artists from both countries in:

  • Developing and showcasing new work
  • Expanding the international context of their practice through cross-cultural learning and exchange
  • Building meaningful relationships with peers, communities and institutions
  • Reaching new networks and audiences
  • Exploring future commissions and collaborative projects

Since its inception, the programme has delivered 10 co-developed arts residencies across two cycles, fostering dynamic partnerships between organisations in Pakistan and the UK. The residencies have explored multiple art forms and championed both emerging and transdisciplinary practices, reimagining how artistic alliances can unfold across the two countries.

With 650 applications received through open calls hosted by residency partners, 55 artists have been selected to participate in residencies spanning Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Shikarpur, and Karoonjhar in Pakistan, as well as London, Birmingham, Nelson, and Edinburgh in the UK. 

Artworks and projects developed through the programme have been showcased at renowned platforms such as the Lahore Biennale, Mohatta Palace Museum, Lok Virsa, Koel Gallery, Pakistan Academy of Letters and Institute of Business Management in Pakistan, and MAC Birmingham, London Design Festival, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Delfina Foundation in the UK. 

2023-24 Projects and partners

  • Curators’ Residency
    Partners: Vasl Artists’ Association & Gasworks London
  • Handspun: Co-Creating Spindle Craft
    Partners: Laajverd & Cockpit Arts
  • Jhuley Lal: Crafting the Contemporary
    Partners: Numaish-Karachi & THISS Studio
  • New Narratives in Photography
    Partners: Tasweerghar & GRAIN Projects
  • RePlay: Reveries of an Urban Dreamland
    Partners: Institute of Business Management & Umbrellium

2024-25 Projects and partners

  • Echoes of Karoonjhar: Cultural Residency for Digital Preservation
    Partners: Lahooti & Invisible Flock
  • Ecologies of Diversity: Plants, Art, Film
    Partners: Koel Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh & Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Arts and Creative Industries
  • Divvy Delfina Residency
    Partners: Foundation Art Divvy & Delfina Foundation
  • Aawaaz Audio Theatre: Collecting Voices, Reviving Sonic Stories
    Partners: National Academy of Performing Arts & People’s Palace Projects
  • In Translation: Exploring Artistic Boundaries
    Partners: Art of Small Talk & In-Situ