The third edition of the Lahore Biennale (LB03), ‘Of Mountains and Seas’, curated by John Tain, addresses urgent themes of sustainability, environmental degradation, emerging ecologies and human responsibility, through the work of over 60 artists from Pakistan and across the world. Increased urbanisation in the last few decades demands accountability and a re-examination of its impact on the environment and society.

At the Shalimar Gardens, part of the Unesco World Heritage sites, the most sought-out work on display against the exposed and distressed brick-laden walls of the Mughal era hammam is by Hamra Abbas. Inspired by the mountains of Skardu, Hamra’s Aerial Studies, in stark marble inlay, illustrates the dire consequences of climate change. Her art highlights the vulnerability of the ecology by apprehending rising temperatures, melting glaciers and flood dangers in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Zahoorul Akhlaq’s Markhor represents the country’s national animal as a design composed of diamond-shaped units. The piece testifies to Akhlaq’s enduring concern for the country’s unique natural environment. It also makes one think of the potential extinction of this creature, given that the United Nations included the markhor on the endangered species list in 1992.

Imran Qureshi’s Water Bodies explores a unique perspective, with his enthusiastic, large-scale public art. It features blue and orange works inspired by Lahore’s scarcity and reliance on overhead back-up water tanks, made from rugged PVC. Qureshi transforms these tanks into art installations, painting the whole rooftop of an adjacent dwelling in his signature style that is only viewable from the Orange Line Metro Station (Shalimar Gardens) platform.

The third iteration of the Lahore Biennale, currently ongoing, puts local and global environmental concerns at the heart of its art

The ticket hall windows towards the main GT road are covered with translucent graphics. One later realises that the circles are the top view of the same blue water tanks, highlighting the connection between water flows, urban life and historical contexts, while addressing urgent environmental issues affecting this densely populated city.

Leeroy New’s Mebuyan’s Colony installation re-imagines an indigenous goddess using sustainable and up-cycled materials, exploring the themes of life, death and environmental responsibility. Zheng Bo’s Phoenix celebrates date palm cultivation while addressing climate-induced migration among Pakistani farmers in the UAE.

Carolina Caycedo, through her two-channel video installation, To Stop Being a Threat and to Become a Promise, contrasts ancestral lifestyles with an activist view, through diverse rivers’ hydrographic and encounters at the newly restored British Barracks at the Lahore Fort. How to Become a Rock by Fazal Rizvi et al explores human relationships with tectonic formations through text, video and performances, emphasising ecological connections and slowing down to embody nature.

In the Royal Kitchens, Niamat Nigar’s work on coalmining addresses environmental impacts, labour exploitation and the struggles of affected communities through compelling artistic expressions. Abraham Oghobase’s works explore the effects of colonial tin-mining in Nigeria’s Jos Plateau, blending documentary and subjective engagement to reveal the landscape’s exploitation and its ongoing impact on local communities and ecosystems.

Similarly, Birender Yadav’s Caste Brick highlights the socio-economic complexities of marginalised labourers in the brick-making industry, intertwining indigenous traditions with contemporary issues of caste, labour and cross-border connections.

In the Akbari Mahal, Elyas Alavi’s In the Sound of Silence has overlaid neon text on to five rubab instruments, to re-imagine the songs and poems that may have accompanied the cameleers on their travels in the Australian outback. In her Piezograph of tulip petal collage Tampan Tree of Life, Jennifer Tee explores migration, cultural hybridity and ecological connections, weaving personal history with the fragility of life in the Anthropocene.

Tariq Alexander Qaiser’s The End of Holocene chronicles Karachi’s mangrove ecosystems, highlighting their beauty, the degradation caused by humans, and the urgent need for restoration amidst rapid urban development and climate change threats over decades.

An awe-inspiring performance-led installation, Humming with Ravi, by Abuzar Madhu at the Alhamra, highlights the River Ravi’s pollution through personal memories and community narratives. It emphasises the intimate connection between human lives and ecosystems, particularly in light of the recently launched RUDA project. One can anticipate whether the river will be the central attraction of this upcoming urban project or merely a backdrop to its past story.

Another noteworthy project at the Alhamra is Chow and Lin’s Even If It Looks Like Grass, which explores the intersection of agriculture and data systems. The installation invites reflection on the complexities of food production, resource challenges, and our interconnected roles in contemporary geopolitical dynamics amidst climate change, through satellite imagery, research papers and participatory milling.

At the YMCA building, Womanifesto’s WeMend project, Fabric as Social Identity, involves faculty member of the Beaconhouse National University’s (BNU) School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD), Kiran Khan, as a project lead and invites community engagement through textile arts. It explores themes of social identity while connecting personal and political narratives, reflecting Lahore’s creative and inclusive spirit.

Bani Abidi’s single-channel video work KM-32 celebrates jugaarr, a bricolage practice born of South Asian ingenuity and thrift that extends the life of everyday objects and stands in contrast to consumerist society’s wasteful notions of obsolescence. Abidi does this by reflecting on her mother’s food processor.

Ehsanul Haq and Iqra Tanveer combine light projections and ceramic sculptures to create a cave-like work called Memory Orbits, displayed at the Barracks Gallery (Nasir Bagh). It embodies the cycles of memory and the conflict between ruin and regeneration as it examines themes of survival, nostalgia and metamorphosis via the metaphor of an eclipse.

Tomás Saraceno’s Museo Aero Solar at Bradlaugh Hall recycles throwaway plastic bags into an interactive piece that invites community involvement. In partnership with Kinnaird College, this initiative encourages visitors to interact creatively with plastic garbage, promoting environmental consciousness and group accountability, while converting waste into art and expression.

Dryden Goodwin’s Breathe utilises public installations in Lahore at various points to highlight air pollution issues. Featuring animations and posters depicting clean air campaigners, the project advocates for clean air access, framing local pollution as a global crisis and a fundamental human right.

The Lahore Biennale 03 runs from October 6-November 8, 2024 at various historical sites across Lahore

The writer is an art/design critic. He heads the Department of Visual Communication Design at the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. He can be reached at aarish.sardar@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 20th, 2024