Fact and Friction
Art India|July 2020
The second edition of the Lahore Biennale addresses conflicts of history and explores a range of issues that include religious strife and the climate crisis, observes Quddus Mirza.
Quddus Mirza
Fact and Friction

The Spanish writer Jorge Carrion wrote in Bookshops, “Every bookshop is a condensed version of the world… that unites your country and its language with vast regions that speak other languages.” The second edition of the Lahore Biennale (LB02), held from the 26th of January to the 29th of February 2020, is very like a vast bookshop. In a bookstore, you find poetry, prose and essays by a variety of authors arranged side by side; books published at different dates are put next to each other. Similarly, in a biennale, you come across works of art created in various parts of the world, and not necessarily in the same period.

Titled Between the Sun and the Moon, the biennale encompasses the vision of its curator Hoor Al Qasimi, who invited around 80 artists from across 44 countries, thus converting the city of Lahore into a melting pot where many worlds meet, converse and correlate. The works on display make it seem as if Qasimi ’s aim was to explore pressing issues of life and meaning ‘between the sun and the moon’. Or between the east and the west, or the north and the south. Or here and there.

Between the 13 display areas, you find several themes that are shared in the works – especially issues to do with political divisions, gender inequality, identity and climate crisis. Somehow, all these converge, correspond and lead to the universal idea of freedom. An impossibility for many people and artists who originate from countries or regions known for their narrow perceptions across political, religious, ethnic and artistic realms. Many artists from South Asia, Middle East and North Africa resist and critique power in their works and address issues of state pressure and orthodoxy.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Art India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Art India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ART INDIASe alt
Parts, Wholes And The Spaces In Between
Art India

Parts, Wholes And The Spaces In Between

Sonal Sundararajan introduces Samira Rathod's free-spirited and rebellious explorations in the world of architecture, furniture and design.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2023
"The Fine Art of Going to the Pictures."
Art India

"The Fine Art of Going to the Pictures."

Dr. Banerjee in Dr. Kulkarni's Nursing Home at Chemould Prescott Road brings together 26 paintings featuring a series of dramatic scenes from Hindi and Bengali films. In conversation with Abhay Sardesai, artist Atul Dodiya talks about childhood trips to movie halls, painted figures gripped by tension, and the closeness and remoteness of cinematic images.

time-read
10 mins  |
April 2023
"To Finally Have Something of Your Own to Mine."
Art India

"To Finally Have Something of Your Own to Mine."

Dayanita Singh is the recipient of the coveted 2022 Hasselblad Award. Keeping the photograph at the centre, she speaks to Shreevatsa Nevatia about books, book objects, photo novels, exhibitions and museums.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2023
OF DIVINE LOSS
Art India

OF DIVINE LOSS

Shaurya Kumar explores the relationship between the subject and object of devotion, finds Aranya.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2023
THE PAST AND ITS SHADOWS
Art India

THE PAST AND ITS SHADOWS

Neha Mitra visits two shows and three artists in Mumbai.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2023
FORCE OF NATURE
Art India

FORCE OF NATURE

Alwar Balasubramaniam dwells on absences and ephemeralities in his new work, states Meera Menezes.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2023
SHAPES OF WATER
Art India

SHAPES OF WATER

Devika Sundar's works delineate the murky, malleable boundaries between the human body and the organic world, says Joshua Muyiwa.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2023
INTIMATIONS OF INTIMACY
Art India

INTIMATIONS OF INTIMACY

Sunil Gupta shares his journey with Gautami Reddy.

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2023
THE FRACTURED PROSPECT
Art India

THE FRACTURED PROSPECT

Nocturnal landscapes as ruins in the making? Adwait Singh looks at Biraaj Dodiya's scenes of loss.

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2023
TEETERING BEYOND OUR GRASP
Art India

TEETERING BEYOND OUR GRASP

Meera Menezes traces Mahesh Baliga's journey from Moodabidri to London.

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2023