This week You! takes a look at the recently concluded Karachi Biennale 2024…
art
Art has a way of reflecting the world around us, capturing both beauty and complexity, and this year’s Karachi Biennale did just that. The exhibition brought together an impressive array of artistic talent, showcasing the creativity and resilience of local and international artists. This year’s event focused on the theme ‘Rizq/Risk,’ prompting attendees to explore the complex relationship between food, culture, and environmental challenges in a rapidly changing world. Through interactive projects and diverse mediums, the Biennale engaged visitors and created a dialogue around pressing issues that affect communities globally.
The Biennale, serving as Karachi Biennale Trust’s core project, transformed urban spaces into a temporary museum, seamlessly connecting art, the city, and its people. Over 40 artists from 10 countries contributed to the event, which unfolded across five venues: Bagh Ibne Qasim, Alliance Francaise, Frere Hall, NED University, and Sambara Art Gallery. This year’s theme invited visitors to engage with the evolving foodscape of our time, offering a feast for the senses through installations, performances, videos, and paintings - all available for free.
This year’s theme resonated deeply in light of Pakistan’s recent environmental challenges, particularly the devastating floods and heatwaves that have jeopardised food security. Artists, with their sharp social commentary, encouraged attendees to pause and reflect on these pressing issues.
Their works sparked conversations about the colonial and neo-liberal policies governing food production and trade, highlighting how profit often takes precedence over hunger and ecological sustainability. The exhibits not only offered a critical lens on these systemic issues but also illuminated indigenous wisdom as a path to healing our land and environment. Furthermore, the central role of women as custodians of traditional knowledge and food cultures was beautifully showcased, celebrating their invaluable contributions to society.
Curator Waheeda Baloch, brought her unique global perspective to the Biennale, shaped by her experiences in Sweden and Germany. Her interpretation of the theme was rich with personal and cultural narratives, effectively bridging local issues with international dialogues.
Public programming at the Biennale fostered deeper engagement with the artwork. The schedule was packed with artist talks, keynote addresses, guided tours, and workshops, creating a hub for learning and interaction. One of the standout features was a temporary reading room at Bagh Ibne Qasim, where visitors could immerse themselves in literature alongside the art.
A special exhibit, ‘Palestinian Artists Live in Our Hearts,’ showcased works on fabric by art students from across Pakistan, paying homage to the courage and contributions of artists in Gaza. This poignant collection added an emotional layer to the Biennale, reminding attendees of the global connections that art can forge, transcending borders and uniting diverse experiences.
The exhibition showcased an impressive array of global talent, featuring works by artists who explored themes ranging from environmental crises and cultural memory to social justice and the significance of local communities. Polish artist Anna Konik presented ‘A Song of Humble Beauty’, a 55-minute film that captured the lives of artisans in Sindh, illustrating how their work is shaped by climate change and colonial legacies affecting food production and transport in the Indus region. Lahore-based artist Anusha Khawajah Shahid, recipient of the KB24 EBM Emerging Artist Prize, presented ‘Hawah’s Garden: Threads of Nature’, inviting visitors to contribute to the weaving process, underscoring themes of family and community.
In ‘Flesh & Blood’, Pakistani artist Ayesha Jatoi examined the harsh realities of the Gaza genocide. Her installation included pairs of steel utensils filled with red liquid and rubble, creating an unsettling juxtaposition with images of social media influencers. UK’s Becca Voelcker delved into archives of Japanese and Malian farming collectives in her sound installation ‘Growing Food & Film’, reflecting on sustainable food production as a means of social justice. Iranian-Finnish artist Bita Razavi explored cultural inheritance in ‘Bita’s Dowry’, illustrating intergenerational attitudes toward marriage and preparedness for the future.
Pakistani multimedia artist Asif Khan’s ‘Once Upon a Landscape’ provided an aerial view of Punjab’s agricultural lands, examining how climate change and urbanisation are affecting food security in Pakistan. Swedish duo Christer Lundahl and Martina Seitl invited visitors to embody natural elements in ‘River Biographies’, fostering trust and sensory interaction with river stones. Quechua artist Daniela Zambrano Almidón’s yet-to-be-titled work integrated ceramics, sound, and live cooking to explore Andean cultural memory.
Eliana Otta from Peru used mixed-media sculptures to highlight food insecurity in ‘Payment to Land’, linking traditional agricultural practices of Peru and Pakistan. French artist Enora Lalet, with her performance piece ‘Vanishing Creature’, challenged audiences to confront inner fears through a food-inspired chimera figure that bridges mythology and reality. Pakistani visual artist Farida Batool’s installation ‘Daney Pe Likha Hai’ critiqued modern wheat cultivation practices, showcasing women’s roles in preserving culinary traditions amid food security concerns.
A collaborative piece by Pakistani artists Fatima Majeed, Fazal Rizvi, Ahmer Naqvi, Luluwa Lokhandwala, and Shabbir Mohammed invited audiences to experience ‘The Table - Mahigeer aur Hum’, an interactive table made of reclaimed fishing boat wood that celebrated Karachi’s coastal heritage through recipes and music from the fisherfolk community. The Moroccan-Dutch duo Salim Bayri and Ghita Skali used their ‘Sunflower Seed Project’ to comment on Pakistan’s shift from food crops to cash crops, inviting audiences to consume sunflower seeds as a critique of global food policies.
Lahore-based Imran Ahmed Khan’s ‘M ttik ’ installation connected food and communal traditions through five tandoors where visitors gathered for storytelling in multiple languages. Polish artist Karolina Brzuzan’s ‘Nofood- starvation cookbook’ interactive website presented recipes developed in times of starvation, underscoring global issues of war, famine, and corruption. Khushboo, a Pakistani documentary filmmaker, presented ‘Fading Heaven’, a 45-minute film on the food and employment challenges in Gilgit Baltistan amidst glacial melt and climate change.
Swedish artist Lina Persson’s ‘Marigold Entanglements’ created a miniature ecosystem for bees, assigning them legal rights as part of an installation that underscored their essential role in biodiversity. Colombian artist Luis Carlos Tovar’s ‘Coal Portraits’ series documented Colombian fishing communities affected by mining conflicts, merging photography and video to depict the social and environmental impact on these communities. Each piece at the Biennale amplified the voices of artists committed to confronting pressing global issues through a blend of cultural, ecological, and social narratives.
As the Karachi Biennale concluded its run from October 27 to November 10, the echoes of creativity lingered, leaving an indelible mark on all who experienced it. A much-anticipated event, it opened doors to a world where creativity meets pressing issues, inviting audiences to reflect on what lies beneath the surface of art itself. Artists gathered not just to display their work, but to question, challenge, and provoke thought on themes deeply rooted in society. As we reflect on the stunning artworks, engaging conversations, and shared laughter, the memories will continue to inspire and provoke thoughts long after the final curtain fell.
