Niilofur Farrukh on Karachi Biennale 2017

Beginning October 22, for the next two weeks all eyes of art enthusiasts will be zoomed in on Karachi as this historic city of Pakistan will be witnessing the unfolding of its first major international art event—Karachi Biennale. In all probability, this will be an occasion to witness how this exhibition architecture articulates our times, re-engages us with history, and rewrites our spatial imagination. Art critic Ziaul Karim catches up with the CEO of Karachi Biennale Niilofur Farrukh to learn from her about how they have been working towards this art extravaganza besides homing in on its theme, its structure and its aspiration.

As CEO of KB 2017, what has it been like to be part of the historic event?

As the CEO of Karachi Biennale and managing trustee of Karachi Biennale Trust, it’s been an exciting journey from the time we conceptualised the project some three years ago and then built a support system in the community and an organisational structure to hold the first Karachi Biennale. It is a project of the Karachi Biennale Trust set up by artists, art critics, educators and committed citizens.

International showcasing of contemporary art are now key to and sources of cultural pride, global recognition and tourism. They seem more like major sporting events than exhibitions. Biennials vie with each other for star curators and big-name artists. What is KB focusing on to make it interesting for art enthusiasts and make sure that it is not just another addition to the burgeoning list of venues?

From the beginning we were very clear that Karachi Biennale would be relevant to the city and its context. That’s why our mandate is connecting art, the people and the city. We have worked since 2016 to build a wide audience with public art, our 12 venues across the city give it access to new audiences. The theme witness we hope will help artists look at issues of memory and erasure. Being rooted in Karachi history, its communities will give it a distinct personality.

In which way, will KB 2017 be able to stimulate local culture, explore contemporary vibrant artistic scene of Pakistan and the region?

Karachi Biennale has over a 100 local artists participating which has created a tremendous opportunity for them to exhibit their work to a local and foreign audience. Previously, Pakistani artists have exhibited abroad in large shows and for them to showcase their work in their own country and for others to see the work in their own cultural ecosystem will have a vitalising impact and might also change perspectives. Many artists from South Asia, Latin America, Africa and the West are also participating to exhibit their work at KB.

Tell us more about the exciting menu of KB 2017, how you are planning to make it a coherent, relevant, and intellectually engaging exhibition?

Besides the exhibitions, we have a series of discursive programs with keynote addresses and panel discussions. The one on Chughtai by Marcella Sirhandi, who is an authority on the great artist, will discuss him in a contemporary context. We have a South South Critical Study Group that has been studying Latin American thinkers. They along with curators and art critics will have a panel discussion on shared coloniality and colonialism. We also have a strong educational programming for school children and college and university students to help the youth further their understanding of art as a cultural expression.

We live in a postcolonial world but still look up to the West for attention and recognition. We have achieved territorial independence, but as many postcolonial theorists suggest decolonisation of mind is the next big challenge. Is KB17 in any way set out to contribute to creating a platform for counter-discourse essential to reduce mental dependency to the West?         

What Gayatri Spivak once called ‘epistemic violence’, unleashed during the colonial period, has left an intellectual trauma disrupting the connection with local expressions and ideas. The process to address this through forums with independent voices has begun to reclaim intellectual space. Biennales too have a role to play and at Karachi Biennale, the five Interdisciplinary roundtables held for the KB17 Critical Knowledge Lab aimed at bringing together critical ideas of poets, writers, social activists and artists to document and discover convergences. These will be published in a book for researchers and cultural theorists. The South South Critical Study Group reading of Latin American critical thinkers is an attempt to look at issues of the developing world regarding shared histories of colonialism and coloniality. It’s this documentation and dialogue on local knowledge that will help us come out of the shadow of Eurocentrism.  Ziaul Karim is an art critic and independent editor. He can be reached at send.ziaul@gmail.com