American Embassy Congratulates International Medal of Art Winner Imran Qureshi

Al-Bab Report

Islamabad, January 17, 2017: The American Embassy in Islamabad congratulates Lahore-based artist Imran Qureshi, winner of the 2017 International Medal of Arts.  Mr. Qureshi, along with contemporary artists Nick Cave, Jenny Holzer, and Wolf Kahn, Pat Steir, and Rachel Whitehead, was honored at a biennial ceremony in Washington, D.C. on January 12.  Mr. Qureshi joins Shahzia Sikander, who was honored in 2013, as medal winners from Pakistan.

The International Medal of Arts is awarded to artists who demonstrate an enduring commitment to the Art in Embassies mission of cultural diplomacy through the visual arts and international cultural exchange.  Recipients have helped define America’s cultural legacy through their artistic excellence and diplomatic contributions.  Their artwork serves as a bridge with other nations, encourages discussion and expression and highlights the communal experiences of people from countries, cultures, and backgrounds worldwide.

Mr. Qureshi’s work is featured at the American Embassy, in the residence of American Ambassador David Hale.  His work is part of Art in Embassies (AIE), a Museum of Modern Art-sponsored initiative that began in 1953 and formalized as part of the Department of State by the Kennedy Administration in 1963.  For more than 55 years, AIE’s global focus of cultural diplomacy through the visual arts has engaged more than 23,000 partnerships with individual and institutional participants in more than 200 venues in 189 countries worldwide.

Knowing how the arts engage, educate, and inspire, the American Embassy spends more than 100 million rupees annually to fund arts programing in Pakistan, introducing Pakistanis and Americans to each other’s artistic traditions.