Nav Haq Appointed Curator of Lahore Biennale 04

4th Lahore Biennale Curator, Nav Haq. Courtesy Lahore Biennale

Nav Haq Appointed Curator of Lahore Biennale 04

Opening Spring 2027, Lahore, Pakistan
lahorebiennale.org

The Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) has announced the appointment of Nav Haq as curator of the fourth edition of the Lahore Biennale, set to take place in spring 2027 across multiple venues in the cultural capital of Pakistan.

A significant event in South Asia’s contemporary art landscape, the Lahore Biennale has in recent years emerged as a key platform for critical artistic discourse, interregional exchange, and the reactivation of public space through art. Launched in 2018, the Biennale continues to position Lahore, long regarded as a historic crossroads of knowledge, culture, and aesthetics, as a vital node in the global art ecosystem. Its influence resonates well beyond Pakistan, shaping conversations around contemporary practice in the wider MENASA region and the Global South.

Since its inception, the Biennale has been spearheaded by the Lahore Biennale Foundation under the direction of Qudsia Rahim, an architect, curator, and cultural strategist whose commitment to civic agency and arts infrastructure in Pakistan has made her a central figure in the region. Rahim is also an active Board Member of the International Biennial Association (IBA), where she contributes to dialogue on biennial models and institutional exchange.

Qudsia Rahim, Executive Director of the Lahore Biennale Foundation, said:

“We are deeply excited for Nav Haq to curate the upcoming edition of the Lahore Biennale. The Lahore Biennale attempts to create and sustain new and diverse forms of solidarities through local and international engagement with the palimpsest of Lahore. Through Nav’s unique curatorial direction, LB04 will seek innovative ways to address the Global South and engage with its complex legacies and emergent formations.”

Nav Haq is a curator and writer based in Antwerp, where he currently serves as Associate Director at M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, developing the museum’s artistic programme. His curatorial practice spans more than two decades and is marked by a commitment to progressive internationalism and interdisciplinary thought.

Haq has organised landmark exhibitions such as MONOCULTURE – A Recent History (2020), as well as survey exhibitions of major artists including Kerry James Marshall, Joseph Beuys, Hüseyin Bahri Alptekin, and Laure Prouvost. He has also curated solo projects with artists such as Cosima von Bonin, Shilpa Gupta, and Otobong Nkanga.

Beyond M HKA, Haq has held curatorial roles at Arnolfini (Bristol), Gasworks (London), and was previously a curator of both the Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (2017) and Contour Biennial (2007). He co-curated Don’t You Know Who I Am? Art After Identity Politics (2014) and Energy Flash: The Rave Movement (2016), and serves on the editorial board of L’Internationale Online and Afterall Journal. In 2012, he received the Independent Vision Award for Curatorial Achievement from Independent Curators International, New York.

Haq’s approach is deeply informed by notions of coexistence, global solidarity, and the curatorial as a space for critical reflection. His upcoming curatorial direction for LB04 will engage these ideas in relation to Lahore’s unique position as a cultural and intellectual epicentre, not only in Pakistan but across the Eurasian and South Asian continuum.

Nav Haq, Curator LB04, said:“The invitation to be curator of Lahore Biennale 04 is a special and humbling one for me. The biennale has become a pillar of the artistic scene in Pakistan and South Asia, as well as an important reference globally. And deservedly so. A long-established metropole for art and culture, Lahore is a city that has both deep historical resonance and contemporary vitality. Lahore Biennale has succeeded in creating a critical space that brings these particularities together for reflecting on Lahore’s place in the 21st century. I’ve had the privilege of engaging with the city’s unique energy over time through both familial and professional ties, and I’m looking forward to working with the Lahore Biennale team to build upon its extraordinary contribution to the cultural and intellectual life of Lahore.”

The forthcoming edition will explore the vitality of culture and society across borders, emphasising the capacity of artistic practices to foster new alliances and solidarities. Haq’s concept will centre on Lahore as a vantage point from which to articulate alternate worldviews—interweaving Lahori, Punjabi, Desi, and Eurasian sensibilities into a shared, expansive framework.

Iftikhar Dadi, Principal Advisor, Lahore Biennale Foundation, said:

“Nav Haq has a deep experience working in leading art institutions in Europe. Over the years, he has developed innovative curatorial projects that are open-ended and investigative, and he has a growing interest in engaging with developments in the Global South. His familial background further motivates him to approach LB04 from perspectives that are both familiar and singular simultaneously.”

Further details, including artist list, venues, and public programming for LB04, will be announced in 2026.