Lahore Biennale Foundation

The Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) is a non-profit organisation that seeks to provide critical sites for experimentation in the visual arts.

LBF focuses on the many stages of production, display and reception of contemporary art in diverse forms. Inclusivity, collaboration and public-engagement are central to their vision and they are committed to developing the potential of art as an agent of social transformation.

To this end, LBF endeavors to support art projects across Pakistan, especially those critical practices which are based on research and experimentation. LBF is supported by government bodies, and has developed enduring relations with international partners. These partnerships at home and aboard attempt to bridge institutional gaps between Lahore and the rest of the world. Its flagship event, the Lahore Biennale, is held every two years. The inaugural Lahore Biennale was presented in 2018. The second Lahore Biennale in 2020 was curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, who brought her experience in curating and promoting the contemporary art of this region, and her knowledge of the global contemporary art world and its institutions to Lahore.

Other major initiatives of the Lahore Biennale Foundation include the Research Unit and Afforestation Lahore. An integral part of the Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF), the Research Unit initiated in 2018, aims to foster archival, experimental, and theoretical investigations that offer new insights into the art and visual culture of Pakistan. The Research Unit provides a platform for investigative learning, focusing on modern and contemporary art, visual culture and its social dimensions in Pakistan and its diasporas. It is committed to supporting creative art practices, promoting a diverse cultural ecology, and encouraging interdisciplinary approaches and outcomes.