> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.urgentmatter.press/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Karachi Biennale cancels its 2027 edition, citing regional ‘war conditions’ - URL: https://www.urgentmatter.press/karachi-biennale-cancels-its-2027-edition-citing-regional-war-conditions/ - Published: 2026-11-11T19:52:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-11T19:52:21.000Z - Author: Adam Schrader - Tags: Government and Cultural Heritage, #public-access The Karachi Biennale Trust has canceled the fifth Karachi Biennale, scheduled for January 16 to 31 across Pakistan’s largest city, citing “the war conditions prevailing in the region and the resultant logistical constraints and incertitude.” The trust announced the decision publicly October 9 [in an Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeR0T%5F0oIU7/?ref=urgentmatter.press), without setting a new date. Noor Ahmed, the edition’s curator, [told Images](https://images.dawn.com/news/1195983/the-karachi-biennale-2027-has-been-cancelled-due-to-war-and-logistical-constraints?ref=urgentmatter.press), Dawn’s culture site, that the decision was “unilateral.” She said the trust did not consult her. Ahmed said the announcement was “devastating for the artists, curators and partners who have devoted so much time and effort in preparing for the Biennale.” [Add Urgent Matter on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=urgentmatter.press&ref=urgentmatter.press) “I am very concerned that this decision by the Karachi Biennale Trust is detrimental for Pakistan’s international art ecosystem,” Ahmed said. Ahmed said she spent 13 months working with more than 100 artists and collaborators, who came to her with “confusion and concern.” She said they were “all quite disappointed about how communications and commitments with them are being handled by \[the trust\].” “The regional wars have severely affected funding in Pakistan and Europe, and with no end to the uncertainty in sight, a citywide biennale could not responsibly be delivered,” Atteqa Malik, the trust’s chairperson, told [Arab News Pakistan](https://www.arabnews.pk/pakistan/pakistans-largest-contemporary-art-event-canceled-as-regional-wars-affected-funding-organizers-3004540?ref=urgentmatter.press) on October 18. Arab News Pakistan reported that it saw a signed cancellation notice dated September 30\. The notice said the trust would contact donors about refunds. “KBT will honor its contractual commitments as announced on Sept. 30,” Malik said. Malik said the trust’s officers discussed its finances with Ahmed, including scaling down or postponing the biennale, before a September 25 trustees’ meeting, the outlet reported. Ahmed said she learned of the cancellation October 1, when the notice reached her by courier. ## Sign up for Urgent Matter This article is provided free with the support of paying subscribers. Not ready for a paid subscription? Sign up for a free account today. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “As of now, KBT has not sent any way forward for the work that artists have prepared,” Ahmed said. The edition, titled “Kal (Yesterday/Tomorrow),” would have marked 10 years since the first Karachi Biennale in 2017\. Ahmed, a former general manager of the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, planned exhibitions in parks, port areas and other public sites across the city, the trust’s [curator page](https://karachibiennale.org.pk/curator/?ref=urgentmatter.press) shows. A February curtain-raiser hosted by artist Amin Gulgee previewed work by 72 artists from 18 countries, [Images reported](https://images.dawn.com/news/1194895?ref=urgentmatter.press). At a February 13 press conference at the Gulgee Museum, the trust named Atteqa Malik its new chairperson and Shanaz Ramzi its new managing trustee, [Dawn reported](https://www.dawn.com/news/1973071?ref=urgentmatter.press). “As we look toward KB27, we reaffirm our commitment to making art publicly accessible while creating global conversations rooted in Karachi’s realities,” Ramzi said. Neither the trust’s statement nor Malik named a specific conflict. On February 27, Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, declared “open war” [with Afghanistan](https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-pakistan-airstrikes-open-war-98927b79ee9ef5741bf0804956d3c2e6?ref=urgentmatter.press) after Pakistan answered border fire from Afghan Taliban forces with strikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia “Our patience has run out. Now it is open war between you and us,” Asif said. The next day, the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran, which borders Pakistan. Urgent Matter has reported damage to [dozens of museums and cultural sites](https://www.urgentmatter.press/multiple-museums-cultural-sites-damaged-in-iran-amid-u-s-israel-airstrikes/) across Iran during the war, including [Tehran’s Golestan Palace](https://www.urgentmatter.press/tehran-golestan-palace-damaged-unesco-warns-threats-amid-us-iran-war/), a UNESCO World Heritage site. On October 5, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed at an emergency meeting in Riyadh to rapidly deploy forces to Saudi Arabia, a day after Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced a campaign to retake all Houthi-held territory. Asif reportedly said Pakistani and Turkish forces were in a supporting role, including reconnaissance, and that only Saudi troops were in combat. The Arts Council of Pakistan’s World Culture Festival runs in Karachi from October 29 to November 22. “Some performances that were completely ready had to be canceled because of the war,” Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah told [Arab News Pakistan](https://www.arabnews.pk/pakistan/karachi-culture-festival-to-feature-arab-artists-despite-some-war-related-cancelations-3005359?ref=urgentmatter.press). The outlet said he was referring to the Iran war and the wider fighting in the Middle East. Shah said musicians based in the United Arab Emirates could not travel because of financial and job troubles he blamed on the war’s economic toll. Images also reported that the ARY Entertainment Awards, set for May, were postponed indefinitely over security concerns at their Dubai venue. *Urgent Matter is reader-supported. Please* [*consider subscribing*](https://www.urgentmatter.press/one-vanderbilt-joins-nybg-botanical-skyline-for-35th-holiday-train-show/#/portal) *to support independent arts journalism.*