Gallery 39K, 2007 — 2016

Established in 2007, Gallery 39K was founded by Abdullah Qureshi, with Rakhshanda Atawar and Rubab Uppal, as an alternative and critical space in Lahore.

Recognizing a lack of opportunities for emerging artists in Pakistan and platforms that allowed experimental and risk-taking within art-making, from 2007 - 2016, the program remained broad and interdisciplinary through curated exhibitions, residencies, and artist-led workshops and talks. Working with local and international artists, many of these activities challenged ways of approaching art in the country by presenting a range of practitioners and addressing critical social issues such as gender, urbanization, queer politics, and religious and ethnic minorities.

To view an archive of exhibitions and events, please visit the Gallery 39K Facebook page. 

In 2016, all public-facing programming was discontinued, re-evaluating mission and focus. Following this process, Shameem Sarfraz Scholarship for Cultural Studies was established, which annually supports one post-graduate student pursuing Cultural Studies at the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore.

Recipients
Kamil Khan, 2020
Noor Ul Ain Khawaja, 2019
Hina Aziz, 2018