News

John Tain – Curator LB03

John Tain joined Asia Art Archive (AAA, Hong Kong) as Head of Research in 2017, and prior to that, served as a curator for modern and contemporary collections at the Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles). Exhibitions that he has curated or co-curated include Translations, Expansions, AAA’s contribution to documenta fifteen (2022); Crafting Communities (2020), on the social practice of the Womanifesto collective; Out of Turn, Serendipity Arts Festival (2018); Women Make Art History (2018), the ... More

Programs

LBF Virtual Museum | 75 Years of Cultural Histories of Pakistan

The LBF Virtual Museum is a platform that investigates the cultural heritage of Pakistan and the legacies of creative practice that have emerged from it, with ‘place’ being a significant contextual frame. The museum will produce knowledge that will be rooted in the local domain and function as an online repository of data and research generated by itself and the project at large.

Public Outreach

Youth Forum

The Youth Forum initiative of the Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) actively engages with younger audiences that include in-school and out-of-school children, through public and private sector schools from across Lahore. The Youth Forum is a free educational resource and community-building program that aims for inclusion beyond socio-economic boundaries. LBF works with different institutional partners. The objectives of Youth Forum are to encourage creativity and develop critical thinking skills, as students experience art beyond their screens and textbooks. Students interact with maps, architecture, and exhibition design, and develop experiential and imaginative learning. 

Research

LBF Research Grant – 2018

Announced in Summer 2018, the LBF Research Grant was intended for an individual or collective whose research focuses on movements and shifts in modern and contemporary art practice in Pakistan or its diaspora.

Publications

Climate Cogress Booklet

As the closing program of the third edition of the Lahore Biennale, the Climate Congress extends the histories and research developed as part of the main exhibition by convening a mix of leading and emerging researchers, artists, curators, and other practitioners for conversations, discussions, and workshops. Developed under the direction of Iftikhar Dadi and John Tain, the Congress offers an occasion for South-South conversations around the role of the arts and humanities to meaningfully contribute to wider efforts to generate awareness and support for imagining and future sustainable futures.

Public Outreach

Afforestation Lahore Group

The Afforestation Lahore Group is designed to encourage a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach amongst the fields of art and philanthropy in Pakistan which focuses on supporting research and development – by building relationships with private, government, institutional and corporate partners, both at domestic and international levels. Climate change presents a tangible threat and given its severity it is imperative to have all stakeholders united on one single platform. It is hoped that with this initiative ... More

Research

LBF Research Fellowship

The Lahore Biennale Foundation Research Fellowship is open to any individual or collective interested in researching any aspect of the modern or contemporary art and visual culture of Pakistan. Award selection is based on the clear identification of the research methodology and archives used, and the relevance of the topic in contributing new knowledge and insight. The award is an open call that coincides with the biennale cycles, the final selection is made by an ... More

Programs

Zinda-dil-a’an-e-Lahore – Billboard Project

Zinda-dil-a’an-e-Lahore – Billboard Project is an initiative of Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) in partnership with Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Kinetic Pakistan. Curated by Qudsia Rahim, Executive Director, LBF; artworks of 16 participating artists were displayed between 24 Nov 2020 - 4 Dec 2020. Lahore is one of Pakistan’s cultural capitals and home to the arts and literature. As a response to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, the Lahore Biennale Foundation in partnership with the Punjab Horticulture Authority invited artists to take over billboards in various parts of the City as an artists’ response, and to ... More

Public Outreach

artSPEAK | Borderlines: On Performative Practices

A discussion with Zoya Siddiqui and Farwa Hassan. At the first ever artSPEAK event, emerging artists Zoya Siddiqui and Farwa Hassan were invited to share their experience as the recipients of the Theertha Performance Platform Award, and to expand upon how their practice related to performance art. The talk took place at Gallery 39K on June 8, 2015. Zoya Siddiqui, a visual artist, is a recent Beaconhouse National University graduate based in Lahore. Farwa Hassan graduated from the Beaconhouse National University in 2014 and has showcased her works in Lahore and Islamabad. Zoya Siddiqui, a visual artist, is a recent Beaconhouse National University ... More

Research

LBF Research Fellowship: Building A National Film Archive

Announced in Summer 2018, the Lahore Biennale Foundation Research Fellowship was open to any individual or collective interested in researching any aspect of modern or contemporary art and visual culture of Pakistan. Award selection was based on the clear identification of the research methodology and archives used, and the relevance of the topic in contributing new knowledge and insight. A public announcement of the award resulted in many submitted applications. The final selection was made by an independent jury. Artist Hira Nabi was the recipient. The total amount awarded for the 2018 cycle was Rs. 300,000. The distinguished mentor for this ... More

Publications

Hustle Culture

Stolon Press’s Hustle Culture is a record made of the daily life around three bird baths placed under a chaste tree and a tamarind tree, in a small garden, in a small town in Malaysia. The visitors to the baths vary—sunbirds, fantails, swallows, an occasional tailorbird, maybe even a kingfisher or oriole, a toad, as well the neighborhood’s fat cat. The baths are washed and refilled regularly, sometimes there are no visitors at all, save for a floating feather; the camera is too slow or too fast, too impatient, or badly positioned. Instead of a story or plot, there is rhythm, fluttering, ... More