LB04

Open call for poets: Conference of the Stray Birds invites contributions from across Eurasia

Conference of the Stray Birds will present its inaugural collection of poems at Lahore Biennale 04: The Shape of Coexistence, taking place in spring 2027. The collection reflects on the legacies and possible afterlives of twentieth-century internationalism across Eurasia. Of particular importance to us are the internationalist writers’ conferences that took place across Soviet Central Eurasia in the post–World War II period. At these gatherings, writers and poets from different countries came together to share ... More

Programs

Urbanities

The Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) and the Goethe-Institut, in further collaboration with Vasl, Pakistan, launched an open call in May 2016, for an eight-week artist residency, seeking two Germany-based artists and/or researchers interested in cross-disciplinary theory and practice related to cities and urban phenomena. Karachi and Lahore were chosen to house the winning artists. The objective of this residency, in both cities, is to encourage and facilitate a critical exploration of the urban and its peculiarities coupled with the myriad artistic possibilities within the wider frame of each individual’s practice and research approach.

Research

LBF Research Grant

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.

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Publications

The Viewing, The Viewer and The Viewed

A publication outlining a component of My East is Your West – an installation by Rashid Rana, entitled Shuhuud-o-shaahid-o-mashhuud (The Viewing, The Viewer and The Viewed). This project was a multi-site video installation with a live camera that created two simultaneous mirrored spaces, connecting audiences in Venice, Italy with audiences in Liberty Market Horse Shoe, Lahore via a live feed. In doing so, it blurred the lines between the East and West, and between the audience and art. The audience was as much a part of the artwork as they were witness to it. The room built in Liberty Market, ... More

Programs

Zero Waste Initiative

The Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) is committed to fostering sustainable practices through its Zero Waste Initiative, aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of our projects and daily operations. As part of this commitment, we have implemented a comprehensive waste management system that emphasizes recycling, repurposing, and responsible disposal methods.

Programs

Workshop | Curating As Whirlpool, Aurora or Matrix?

This curatorial workshop held at Nairang Art Gallery brought together participants from Lahore, Islamabad, and Multan through a nomination process. The participants were diverse, ranging from artists and young curators to educators and writers. The workshop’s goal was to expose diverse participants in Pakistan to new curatorial strategies, allowing for capacity building, in a rapidly developing art country.

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

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Publications

Stories We Tell – Aao Sunayein Kahani

Stories We Tell 'Aao Sunayein Kahani' is an audio/visual storytelling project of The School of Visual Art and Design (SVAD) at Beaconhouse National University and the Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) made possible with the support of the Centre for Culture and Development (CKU). The art of conversation and storytelling has played a pivotal role in suturing together the cultural fabric of South Asia. Since time immemorial this was how histories were transferred between generations; survival narratives were created and exchanged; and instructional anecdotes to sustain everyday life were passed down.

Publications

Lahore Biennale Reader 02

Between Jan 26 and Feb 29, 2020, the Lahore Biennale 02 was exhibited at multiple sites across Lahore, Pakistan. Hoor Al Qasimi curated the work of over eighty artists and collectives under the theme of Between The Sun And The Moon, emphasizing participation from the Global South and with a stress on artists and works from Africa, Central Asia, West Asia and their diasporas. The multifaceted Biennale program included exhibited works, performances, participatory settings, publications ... More