LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The Lahore Biennale, a large-scale international contemporary exhibition ongoing in the Pakistani city of Lahore, is aiming to reclaim the historical city’s place on the international arts calendar, its curator and featured artists have said, and be a “collective and participatory” event that involved the whole city and its citizenry.
Of Mountains and Seas, the third edition of the Biennale, is curated by John Tain, the head of research at Asia Art Archive in Hong Kong, and considers the themes of ecology and sustainable futures, with special reference to recent floods and agricultural disasters in Pakistan as well as the country’s urban pollution and social, economic, political and sexual inequalities.
This will be the first edition since 2020, which had Emirate curator Hoor Al Qasimi at the helm and was displayed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Biennale features over 60 artists representing 30 countries, presenting site-specific exhibits as well as immersive installations that draw attention to issues caused by environmental degradation, along with illuminating the city’s vernacular and indigenous heritage as transformative resources for future sustainability.
Exhibitions are being featured across a dozen venues across the city, including the UNESCO World Heritage site the Lahore Fort in the ancient Walled City and the famed Mughal-era Shalimar Gardens, a true treasure of Islamic garden design and hydrology that will be showcased for the first time in the Biennale.
“We wanted to showcase our art in a bustling public space, not art as gate-kept by colonial legacies or their bureaucracies,” Abdullah Qureshi, a Pakistani Artist who curated a show titled: ‘Decolonial Feminist Ecologies: On Body and Land’ put together by the Pakistan Art Forum (PAF) in collaboration with the Lahore Biennale Foundation, told Arab News.
“We tend to think of art as this controlled, quiet space where people are observers from a distance. [The artists in this show] think about these ideas outside the Western canon.”
A press release by the biennale management said the idea of placing historic sites in dialogue with more contemporary works was aimed at bringing to light the ways Lahore’s celebrated culture, architecture, and gardens, “generally understood to symbolize its palimpsest of connections to Asia and Europe through trade routes and the migration of people and knowledge, also connects with more recent conversations about the significance of historical and indigenous forms of knowledge and practices as necessary alternatives to the extractivism that plague modern societies.”
“Evidence of these local and vernacular forms can be abundantly found everywhere in the architecture, art, cosmology, cuisine, and literature across the city, as well as in the diversity of its inhabitants— people whose relation to local and regional ecosystems have been fine-tuned over millennia of cohabitation and adaptation,” the statement added.
Tain, who has previously served as curator of modern and contemporary collections at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, sees the Lahore Biennale as being “collective and participatory in nature.”
“One way to think about a biennale is that it’s something which is a space in time that allows for activities and programs to take place and that necessarily involves other people outside the artist,” Tain said at an event before the launch of the exhibitions last week.
“So I think what is being planned is not artists just making work and putting it on wall or putting it on a floor, but thinking about the work as something that involves other people.”
Qudsia Rahim, a graduate of Lahore’s esteemed National College of Arts and the executive director of the Lahore Biennale Foundation, said the purpose of the biennale was for the “whole city” to take part.
“To be a part of this biennial, you don’t necessarily have to be an artist,” she said. “The good thing about art is that you don’t need the wall of a drawing room or gallery but what’s important is an idea and for that an audience is important … So, the point of the biennale’s purpose is how can we connect with each other, because we are social animals and in a way we want the whole city to be a part of this biennale.”
“ART IN A BUSTLING PUBLIC SPACE”
Free and open to the public, the biennale commenced on Saturday, Oct. 5, and will run through Friday, Nov. 8, complemented by a number of collateral exhibitions and programs scattered all over the city.
One such show that took place during the opening weekend (October 5–7) was the ‘Decolonial Feminist Ecologies: On Body and Land,’ curated by Abdullah Qureshi and featuring Iranian-born artist Sepideh Rahaa and Kenyan-German collaborative artist Syowia Kyambi.
“This is a collateral event for the Lahore Biennale 03, which is taking place in the Brown House inside the Masjid Wazir Khan courthouse,” PAF founder Imtisal Zafar told Arab News, referring to a 17th-century Mughal mosque located in the Walled City.
The mosque was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a part of an ensemble of buildings that also included the nearby Shahi Hammam baths. Considered to be the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque, Masjid Wazir Khan is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
“[Art] can’t be constricted to a neat and tidy studio or a clean canvas,” Nairobi-based Kyambi told Arab News. “Art is forever moving, changing and clamoring.”
Her work showed two distinct worlds, the high-rises and apartment complexes and rural countryside and at Thursday’s event, the artist handed out maps and pictures to her audience, shared stories and painted bright colors on a mud wall. She also encouraged her audience to speak out during her performance and voice their opinions on whether they liked it and what they understood of her art.
“We want to imagine futures of solidarity, community and resistance,” she said. “Not just stay quiet at everything unfolding in front of them.”
Speaking about the experience of working in a place as richly-textured and cosmopolitan as Lahore, with its many iconic and historical buildings, Kyambi said:
“When I entered for the first time to check the space [at Masjid Wazir Khan], it had a really light energy, and the rooftop is just perfect for my practice in this particular work, because it holds the scale but it’s also outdoors so the work can also keep on changing with the environment ... It’s wonderful to be near the mosque as well and I think it’s a really special part of town.”
PAF founder Zafar said the purpose of the biennale, like the ‘Decolonial Feminist Ecologies’ show arranged by the Pakistan Art Forum, was to promote local and lesser-known artists and bring them in conversation with international, globally acclaimed ones “to show the world how much talent we have here in Pakistan.”
Stephan Chow, a Singaporean artist whose work is featured at the Lahore Biennale, said the people of Lahore and Pakistan were very open to new ideas and art.
“This is my second trip to Pakistan,” he said, “and I find the people of Pakistan to be very rich in culture, knowledge, and they embrace ideas very well.”
Lahore Biennale aims to reclaim historical city’s place on international arts calendar
https://arab.news/bbxsp
Lahore Biennale aims to reclaim historical city’s place on international arts calendar
- Biennale features over 60 artists representing 30 countries and presenting site-specific exhibits as well as immersive installations
- Artworks are featured at a dozen venues including Mughal-era Lahore Fort and Masjid Wazir Khan in Walled City, iconic Shalimar Gardens
Qatar exhibition explores relationship between AI and humanity
DOHA: The Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar launched “Ai or Nay? Artificial vs. Intelligent,” a thought-provoking exhibition exploring humanity’s evolving relationship with machine learning.
Running until May 15, the exhibition brings together over 20 works by international and regional artists.
Directed by Alfredo Cramerotti, the exhibition emphasizes interdisciplinary dialogue, he said. “For me, it’s important as a curator to combine arts with something else and have a foot in art and a foot in something like technology or media,” Cramerotti told Arab News.
“We’re embedded in an environment of communication, technology, and media and (in this exhibition) we bring in artistic elements… to tackle themes that are relevant for society now.”
On display are installations from international creatives such as Jan Zuiderveld (Netherlands), Patrick Tresset (France/Belgium), and Adnan Ayub Aga (UAE/Portugal), alongside interactive and visual works by Amr Alngmah (Yemen/Egypt), Farjana Salahuddin (Bangladesh), graphic designer Hind Al-Saad (Qatar), Hadeer Omar (Egypt) and Bilge Emir (Turkey/Germany).
“We thought, let’s bring in in different voices — from the region and internationally, from different sectors of society and cultures — to help us understand the different pinch points of AI to make the general public more aware of certain issues,” explained Cramerotti.
The exhibition also addresses the tension between digital and physical experiences, he added: “This hybridity is central to the show. It’s about being aware of how AI and information flows shape our identities and impact our lives.”
As an example, Cramerotti highlighted the work of Al-Saad and Omar, which features screen walls offering a glimpse into how AI works in our everyday lives.
“The idea of how computers see us is actually quite central, but it’s completely invisible — like facial recognition,” he said. “It is integrated in your life flow. You don’t notice it. But there is an incredible amount of ‘bio-politics’ behind it.”
Tiffany Trump stuns in Zuhair Murad gown during inauguration week
- Tiffany is married to Lebanon-born Michael Boulos
- Married in 2022, they are expecting their first child
DUBAI: Tiffany Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump, turned heads this week in a dress by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad at the Inaugural Candlelight Dinner, hosted at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Traditionally held on the eve of a US presidential inauguration, the black-tie event honors the incoming administration with an evening of celebration and speeches.
For the occasion, Tiffany, who is expecting her first child with husband Michael Boulos, chose a custom, chocolate-brown chiffon gown with an asymmetric one-shoulder neckline, and a cape-like sleeve that flowed dramatically.
The dress was cinched at the waist and highlighted by intricate draped detailing on the bodice.
On Monday morning, Tiffany and Boulos attended services at St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C., a longstanding tradition for incoming presidents and family members.
Later in the day, she joined her family at the swearing-in ceremony, which was held indoors at the Capitol Rotunda due to extreme cold weather.
She also attended the inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena and the inaugural balls that evening.
For the day’s events, she wore a velvet navy-blue coat cinched at the waist, accessorized with minimal jewelry and leather point-toed stiletto boots.
Tiffany and Boulos tied the knot in 2022. For her special day, the bride wore a custom-made Grecian-style gown by Lebanese designer-to-the-stars Elie Saab.
Tiffany chose her wedding dress as a nod to Boulos’ heritage. “It’s a Lebanese-American wedding, so we were so happy to have Elie Saab create the magic,” said mother of the bride Marla Maples at the time, according to People magazine.
Boulos is of Lebanese and French descent and grew up in Lagos where his father, Massad, runs Boulos Enterprises and is the CEO of SCOA Nigeria.
The family is also linked to the world of Hollywood through Michael’s brother Fares, who is an actor and appeared in a 2017 episode of “The Crown.”
Boulos and Tiffany were engaged in January 2021, the day before Trump left office following defeat in the 2020 election.
Camila Alves McConaughey shines in Elie Saab at Riyadh event
DUBAI: Lebanese couturier to the stars Elie Saab took to Instagram to give a shoutout to model Camila Alves McConaughey, who wore the label to the recent concert “Life is a Dream,” led by Hollywood giant Anthony Hopkins in Riyadh.
“@camilamcconaughey attended the ‘Life Is A Dream’ concert composed by Sir Anthony Hopkins with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra alongside her husband Matthew in an ELIE SAAB Spring Summer 2025 look,” the label captioned the Instagram post.
Alves McConaughey, who attended the event with her actor husband Matthew McConaughey, wore a striking yellow gown to the event, with flowing caped sleeves and a plunging neckline.
Meanwhile, US pop sensation Christina Aguilera, who performed at the Joy Awards ceremony over the weekend in Riyadh, also opted for an Elie Saab creation for the first part of her performance.
Aguilera took to the stage in a dramatic burgundy gown from Elie Saab’s Haute Couture Autumn Winter 2024 collection. The glittering gown saw Aguilera channeling old-school 1920s Hollywood glamour. The dress flowed into a feathered train, and she completed the look with a chiffon scarf, draped over her head and shoulders.
The same event saw Alves McConaughey opt for another yellow gown, this time from Oscar de la Renta.
As for the symphony concert, in a captivating blend of art and humanity, Hollywood icon Hopkins graced the Bakr Al-Shaddi Theater in Boulevard City, Riyadh, with a performance titled “Life is a Dream” as part of the Riyadh Season festivities.
Introduced by fellow actor Morgan Freeman, Hopkins opened his speech with the Arabic greeting, “As Salaam o Alaikum,” setting a tone of cultural respect and unity.
Hopkins shared his reflections on life and art, drawing from the words of Edgar Allan Poe: “I have always believed that all we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”
Reflecting on his life, he described the path from “the son of a simple baker” in South Wales to a world-renowned composer and actor.
“My life, to me, is a profound mystery,” he said. “It’s impossible to understand or take credit for the blessings I’ve been given. That’s why I believe life is a dream, and this piece, ‘Life is a Dream,’ was inspired by my dreamy childhood in South Wales, my wonderfully supportive mother and my father, who was larger than life and worked tirelessly throughout his life.”
Italian sculptress Ariana Palmieri contemplates world’s cyclicity at Tuwaiq Sculpture
RIYADH: With the theme “Then and Now: Joy in the Struggle of Making,” the sixth edition of the Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium has brought together 30 sculpture artists from around the world.
Among them is Italian artist Ariana Palmieri, whose piece “Motion of Revolution” was inspired by the movement of the solar system around the sun. Depicting the inevitable cycles of birth and death, the work contemplates the notion that birth is conditioned by assured fatality.
“It’s all about the circularity of life — you are born, you are a child, then you are an adolescent, then you grow older, and then you die. But your life will continue after this, and we give life to other things. So it’s more about how everything is connected and a circularity of life; as humans move within the planets, the planets are moving around the sun,” Palmieri told Arab News.
Originally from Milan, Palmieri moved to Carrara, a town known worldwide for its white marble, to study sculpting. She graduated in 2023 and the 26-year-old is one of the youngest artists amongst the group at the symposium.
She says it is an opportunity to learn and grow as an artist.
“It’s like a dream. I didn't think they would choose me because I am so young,” she said. “The last edition was more about people that had experience. This edition, they tried to concentrate more (on) the artwork and the background of the artist,” she said.
The finished works will be exhibited from Feb. 12-24 and moved to various locations across the city as part of Riyadh Art’s initiative to beautify the capital.
“Public art is the main thing that our sculptures can achieve because you can do big stuff and they will be like a journal in some way. I’m really, really happy that I can do something so big that will stay there so much longer than me,” she said.
Palmieri’s work is not merely a reflection of planetary movement but contemplates the existence of the human race and its role within a larger picture. Her work itself is a representation of this thought: As every human diminishes, remnants of them and their work on earth will be set in stone — waiting to be discovered by another.
“I thought about nature a lot, and all of humanity. I hope at least that my art can get through this idea, to connect all the people,” she said.
Review: ‘A Man on the Inside’ – comedy series on Netflix
- Dressed in impeccably pressed suits and armed with plenty of trivia about architecture, he saunters in, shyly at first, then begins to find his footing
“A Man on the Inside” is an eight-episode comedy series that premiered on Netflix in 2024, blending humor, heartfelt storytelling and a touch of mystery.
After retired professor and widower Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson of “The Good Place”) speaks to his concerned only daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), he decides to make a change. A year after her mother’s death, Emily encourages her father to find a new purpose; to take a class or try a new hobby.
With a love of newspaper cutouts (he would often clip and mail interesting articles to Emily), Charles finds an intriguing yet vague job listing in the classified section.
He is soon recruited by Julie, a private investigator (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), who reluctantly enlists his help to uncover the whereabouts of a stolen necklace in a local San Francisco retirement community.
At its heart, the series explores the evolving father-daughter relationship between Charles and Emily, along with her husband and three teenage sons.
It also shows Charles making friends and trying out new things at an age and stage in his life when he thought life ended with his wife’s death.
Dressed in impeccably pressed suits and armed with plenty of trivia about architecture, he saunters in, shyly at first, then begins to find his footing.
“He’s like if a podcast wore a suit,” one staff member aptly describes him.
Then another valuable item is stolen from the community. Then another.
Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) co-stars as Didi, the sharp and determined managing director of the retirement community, bringing her trademark wit and charm to the role.
The whodunit-style show examines coping with grief, lost love, and the excitement of new beginnings from the perspective of seniors.
Whether you’re here for the mystery, the comedy, or its effortless charm, the series delivers a family-friendly binge-worthy viewing experience.