Pakistan Pavilion at 2026 Venice Biennale Explores Punjab's Sublime Terrain

The Pakistan Pavilion returns to the 2026 Venice Biennale with 'Punj•AB: A Sublime Terrain,' a project curated by Beatriz Cifuentes Feliciano featuring artist Faiza Butt. Housed at the former Farmacia Solveni in Dorsoduro, the exhibition explores the Punjab region as a generative territory shaped by invasions, cultural exchange, and material abundance. The pavilion integrates tapestries, paintings, sculptural medallions, and moving images, created in collaboration with local artisans and weavers. Butt, born in Lahore in 1973, draws on her personal geography and the region's history, including the 1947 Partition, to address themes of power, governance, and control. The project uses non-monumental practices rooted in Punjab's textile traditions, employing local resources and engaging students, academics, and sustainable practice professionals. Cifuentes Feliciano emphasizes the importance of integrating the pavilion into Venice's urban fabric, with Dorsoduro's cultural institutions providing context. For Pakistan, which lacks a permanent pavilion, this second participation marks a significant achievement, aiming to boost international visibility for Pakistani artists and engage in transnational dialogue, particularly within the Global South. The exhibition runs until November 22, 2026, at 193 GALLERY VENICE, Dorsoduro 993-994.