Faiza Butt to Represent Pakistan at 61st Venice Biennale with Craft-Based Project

Faiza Butt will represent Pakistan at the 61st Venice Biennale, running from 9 May to 22 November 2026, with her pavilion located at Spazio 996/A, Fondamenta Sant'Ana. Her project adopts a two-pronged approach: drawing from Punjab's cultural history while engaging socially with community. She plans to collaborate with women artisans using natural dyes and techniques, focusing on historic textile crafts to preserve intergenerational skills. Butt cites non-fine art sources like folk crafts as inspiration and aims to create a legacy in the reservoir of knowledge. She believes artists are cultural ambassadors and that art must speak a universal language, rejecting nationalism. She named Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi as Pakistan's greatest artist. Butt highlighted Punjab's Hellenistic history, noting Alexander the Great reached the region in 362 BC. She emphasized using environmentally sustainable materials, as Pakistan suffers from climate shifts despite low carbon footprint. The Biennale's theme is "In Minor Keys."