A group of multidisciplinary artists and a studious curator convene at Barkat Ali Islamia Hall, opposite Mochi Gate, along a circular road in Lahore. They investigate indigenous knowledge systems and their intersections with ecology, ancient history, mythology, and mysticism, thoroughly…
Achara--- reimagined as a vibrant medium for narrative and spatial exploration in the exhibition Folding/Unfolding- The Achara Chronicles, curated by Arshad Faruqui. The curator focuses on highlighting principles of repurposing, thereby reflecting on the recurring nature of artistic creation. Within…
Art historian and critic Nageen Jawaid Shaikh and academic, researcher, and actor Tazeen Hussain interview art interventionist, author, and CEO Karachi Biennale: Niilofur Farrukh. The conversation is a part of the public initiative “Writers and Readers Cafe” (#78), at the…
Through his exhibition ‘Unrealized’, held last year at Canvas Gallery Karachi, artist and curator Adeel uz Zafar delved into the deceptive completeness of artworks, emphasizing the intricate and ongoing process hidden behind the finished facade. Engaging in profound dialogues, around…
Shahzia Sikander’s recent installation of sculptures titled Hawah …to breathe, air, life, stands in Madison Square Park (Witness) and the Supreme Court (NOW) in New York— with this comes the honor of being the first artist of Pakistani origin to…
Many questions about Karachi were left unanswered as I grew up between erasure and nostalgia in this city. The colonial built heritage with its linear history echoed the imperialist narrative which for decades became the only truth we knew. It…
The Karachi Biennale Trust held a two-day hybrid seminar on November 5t – 6th 2022. The theme for the seminar was ‘Ruptured Histories: Critical Exchanges on Issues of Decolonisation’. Scholars and artists were invited to share their insights on the…
I was reading Robert Louis Stevenson a few nights ago. His poem Requiem, reads: “This be the verse you grave for me Here he lies where he long'd to be Home is the sailor, home from sea And the hunter home from the hill”.35 Ruby Chishti’s works…
The spirit of Pakistani art in the early 21st century was perfectly captured by Nukta Art magazine. This magazine on contemporary art was published twice a year, from 2005 to 2013. For those eight years it existed as an intellectually…
When Hernando de Soto came up with the term ‘Dead Capital’, it was mainly referring to the economic activity outside the formal structure. A people’s economy that is often bigger, more resilient and embedded in its context but is never…