• Issue
  • Jan 01, 2023

Karachi & Lahore: Resolute Resilience

RASHID RANA’s IT LIES BEYOND, 2022, augmented reality and inkjet print on vinyl site-specific installation, 4.7 × 7.8 × 42.1 m, at the 3rd Karachi Biennale. Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery, London / New York / Los Angeles / Shanghai / Beijing.

As soon as people in Pakistan became relaxed again and started returning to normal life patterns after another wave of the pandemic in 2022, the country was hit by another calamity: the floods. Since June, one third of the nation’s territory had been submerged. Water dislocated millions, dismantled constructions, destroyed possessions, crops, and livestock, killed thousands of human beings, and caused diseases, infections, and malnutrition among innumerable citizens. The rest of the population watched, grieved, and tried to help their compatriots. Artists and cultural workers also participated in this humanistic service.