LB02 Academic Forum

LB02 Academic Forum

The Academic Forum is an integral dimension of the Lahore Biennale. It aims to foster broad and imaginative discussions on art, culture, and society by bringing comparative and cross-disciplinary perspectives from other locations to Lahore. The Academic Forum brings over a dozen distinguished international curators, critics, and scholars to give public lectures, participate in panel discussions, conduct workshops, and do studio visits with local artists.

LB02 Sites

Lahore Museum

The Lahore Museum (Punjabi: لاہور میوزیم; Urdu: عجائب گھر لاہور‎; “Lahore Wonder House”), is a museum located on the historic Mall Road. Founded in 1865 at a smaller location and opened in 1894 at its current location during the British colonial period, Lahore Museum is now one of Pakistan’s most visited and highly regarded museums. The museum, along with the Zamzama Gun located directly in front of the building, were made famous in the celebrated novel Kim, written by Rudyard Kipling - whose father Lockwood Kipling was one of the museum’s earliest curators.

LB02 Artists

Wael Shawky

Myth and the epic drama of Medieval history are brought to life in Wael Shawky’s magisterial Cabaret Crusades. Loosely inspired by Amin Maalouf’s The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, the Egyptian artist’s mesmerizing trilogy deploys the puppetry of exquisite marionettes to chronicle the tragedies of war with sublime beauty and captivating force.

LB02 Program

LB02 Inaugural Weekend

Local and international artists and curators, public figures and patrons gathered with art lovers over the weekend to open the second edition of the Lahore Biennale (LB02) on January 26, 2020. The inauguration ceremony took place amidst majestic surroundings in Hazuri Bagh, a garden in the city’s historic fort. Newly commissioned projects were unveiled alongside important works of contemporary art: Diana Al Hadid’s remarkable public sculpture in the gardens of Divan-e-Aam, inspired by the popular legend of Anarkali; installations by diaspora artists Hajra Waheed, Haroon Mirza and Khadim Ali and paintings by Ethiopian artists created in Lahore.

LB02 Sites

Tollinton Market

Tollinton Market is located on the Mall Road to the east of the Lahore Museum. It was built to house the first important exhibition of Punjab's arts and crafts. This building, which once presented a picture post card view, is of great significance in tracing the urban history of Lahore. It was in this exhibition hall, now famous as Tollinton Market, that the first major exhibition (1864) of the produce and products of the province was held. It later housed the Punjab's museum collection consisting of objet d'art, arts and crafts and rare finds. After the transfer of the museum ... More

LB02 Sites

Bradlaugh Hall

A symbol of revolution against the British occupation of Indian subcontinent, Bradlaugh Hall is regarded as an epicenter of organized resistance against colonial rule in Lahore. It was built in the 19th century on Rattigan Road through the fundraising efforts of Indian National Congress, one of the earliest political organizations in Lahore, which at that time was in search of a dedicated space to conduct its political sessions. Following the Hall’s inauguration in 1900, it ... More