The inaugural Karachi Biennale will be a prominent art event which will take place in October 2017. The vibrant city of Karachi, Pakistan will be the host of this prestigious art event with the appropriately curated theme of ‘Witness’.

To engage the public and bridge them to the world of art, the Karachi Biennale 2017 has invited established and prominent artists from across the world to be part of this prestigious event. It will be held at the Narayan Jagannath Vaidya (a High School which is still in operation) where participants of this show have been selected to interpret the theme – Witness. It will be an eye opening experience to see how artists come together to present their art, within the environment of a running school in Karachi, Pakistan.

Ivan Lam will be the only artist to represent Malaysia at the Karachi biennale with a project that involves students from the school and the community.

He has also created an art installation called You Said You Will Never Leave which he will be gifting to the children of Pakistan during the biennale. Six months before the biennale started, he created a workshop in Karachi where he involved 300 children in a community project of making art with a purpose.

You Said You Will Never Leave serves as an introductory platform of art, from Lam to the children in Karachi who are perhaps less exposed to art. The installation is shaped to resemble a colour wheel, a symbol that is universal and acts as both play and education. Many years ago, Ivan said to a girl that he would return, he didn’t, he left and never came back. During the workshop in Karachi, the students had asked Lam the same. Ivan Lam hopes that he can hold onto his words this time around, to come back and finish what he started.

KIAF/14 will be held at the Seoul COEX Hall from the 25th to 29th September 2014.
Wei-Ling Gallery will be showing in Hall A at booth A92.