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

ANCESTORS: Architecture of Memory

This public program curated by Natasha Ginwala was envisioned as a multi-part, interdisciplinary platform for the Gujral Foundation’s project My East is Your West, which in turn was part of the 56th Venice Biennale (2015) as a collateral event.

Public Outreach

LB02 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. For this, 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. 

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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.

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

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.

Public Outreach

artSPEAK | Art in Parks and Public Spaces

April 21, 2016 What is public art? What is public space? What is the significance of art in public space? How can practicing art in the public realm help build resilient communities? How can the barrier between practitioner and public be dissolved?

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

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