With eyes on digital art, 3rd Karachi Biennale set to begin October 31

The third iteration of the Karachi Biennale (KB) is slated to run between October 31 and November 13 across nine venues in Karachi with artists set to exhibit works under the theme ‘Collective Imagination: Now and the Next’ that will explore the expanding integration of technology with art.

KB is Pakistan’s largest international contemporary art event occurring every two years in Karachi. The event was supposed to take place last year, but was postponed due to the pandemic.

This year's theme is especially aimed at the youth, and the programming will display artworks throughout the city, bringing together students, art professionals, philanthropists, corporations and the general public.

This year, the participating countries include Germany, USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, UK, Singapore, Brazil, Switzerland and Spain.

Among participating artists this year include Amin Gulgee, Rashid Rana, Imran Qureshi and Shezad Dawood.

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The nine venues comprising artworks will include the IBA City Campus, VM Art Gallery, IVS Art Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Hamid Market among others.

“KB will explore a collection of rich historical and cultural sites that engage with the public as host venues for the exhibits,” stated the organisers in a communication on the event.

“The Third Karachi Biennale is where dynamic connections are being forged between art and technology, on a scale not seen before in Pakistan. We hope this synergy will inspire youth and empower them with new ideas,” CEO of Karachi Biennale Nilofer Farrukh told Business Recorder.

The theme for KB22 came about as a natural progression of the first two Biennales.

Moving from traditional canvases and paintings, KB began receiving a smattering of digital works, videos, VR etc, Farrukh said.

"At that time, not a lot of artists were incorporating technology in their works, and KB had to look internationally for someone to give direction and that’s how they came across curator for this year's iteration, Faisal Anwar, who is a hybrid artist."

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Anwar’s curatorial note states, “Karachi, like other major emerging cosmopolitan cities around the world is at the cusp of the digital revolution, is increasingly generating, connecting and speaking in the language of digital data. As a city with one of the largest and most diverse populations in the world, and being the economic, philanthropic, and educational capital of Pakistan.”

KB is also looking to bolster the local artistic fraternity by creating a framework enabling local artists to incorporate more technology in their works. Amin Gulgee, for example, is one such artist who already does a fair bit of hybrid work.

“The exciting art from 25 Pakistani and international artists has the potential to make visitors aware of the immense possibilities technology has to offer and remind to dream of being more than mere consumers to innovators,” Farrukh added.

"Unexpectedly, when Covid-19 happened, the world turned towards technology anyway, which was wonderful, especially the youth, and the artists this year have explored how to use technology in different ways," she continued.

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The world's first Biennale was held in Venice in 1895, in an effort to promote socio-economic development. Currently, several hundred Biennales take place across the globe, attracting thousands of visitors.

The theme for 2017, the very first KB, was ‘Witness’ that brought together 182 local and international artists at 19 venues to explore the history and narrative of the city. The second biennale, in 2019, focused on the devastating ‘development footprint’ on ecology and brought together 98 local and international artists at 7 venues throughout the city.

The Karachi Biennale was born out of the idea of focusing on connecting art with the city and its people by showcasing the work of some of the world's leading artists. Each biennale revolves around a theme that is anchored in the host city, and yet has international relevance.

Karachi Biennale is a flagship project of the Karachi Biennale Trust (KBT), which was established in 2016 by art professionals, educators and the corporate sector.