The second Lahore Biennale took place in early 2020 across Lahore, Pakistan, with installations at historic sites such as the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Tollinton Market, and Bradlaugh Hall. Artists like Barbara Walker and the Pak Khawateen Painting Club presented works addressing colonial erasure, sexuality in an Islamic Republic, and water scarcity. Skira has published the "Lahore Biennale 02 Reader," edited by Sheikha Hoor al Qasimi and Iftikhar Dadi, which compiles essays and reflections from the biennial's academic forum, including contributions from the Ajam Media Collective and anthropologist Seema Golestaneh on Sufism and state power in Iran and Pakistan.
This article matters because it highlights how the Lahore Biennale has become a vital independent institution sustaining subversive artistic expression in Pakistan despite state dysfunction. The accompanying Reader documents how contemporary art can engage with urgent social and political issues—colonial history, religious authoritarianism, and environmental crisis—while fostering cross-cultural dialogue between Pakistan, Iran, and the broader Persianate world. It underscores the resilience of artistic communities in repressive contexts and the role of biennials in preserving cultural memory and critical discourse.