©CARLOTTA CARDANA
For the first time, Pakistan will have a pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which this year opens on May 11 and runs through November 24. Organized by the Foundation Art Divvy, the inaugural Pakistani Pavilion will showcase the work of artist Naiza Khan, who is based in Karachi and London.
Curated by Zahra Khan, the pavilion will feature a project called Manora Field Notes. The work will focus on the Pakistani island of Manora, off the coast of Karachi, and documentation related to its history.
In a statement, Khan, whose work has previously appeared in editions of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the Shanghai Biennale, and the Cairo International Biennale, said, “I feel honored to represent Pakistan and to share this new body of work,” adding that a focus of her show will be “histories of empire and maritime trade.”