Sharjah Biennial Prize Winners Announced for 16th Edition

Aziz Hazara, Pallavi Paul, and Pratchaya Phinthong have been honored with the Sharjah Biennial Prize for the 16th edition. Their works, displayed across Sharjah until April 20, 2025, explore themes of conflict, mortality, and ecological intervention. Hazara's installation at the Old Al Jubail Vegetable Market, including I Love Bagram (2025) and Bagram Field Notes (2021–ongoing), examines the aftermath of military presence through a radical archive of survival. Paul's multi-part installation, featuring Reckoning (2024), Afterglow (2024), and the film How Love Moves (2023), tells the story of gravedigger Shamim Khan during the 2020 Delhi riots and COVID-19 pandemic. Phinthong's underwater steel structure connected to a solar panel, We are lived by powers we pretend to understand (2024), alongside granite sculptures placed throughout the city, investigates coral reef repopulation in the Gulf. The biennial, titled to carry, reflects on historical weight and what societies choose to preserve. Curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala, and Zeynep Öz, the exhibition invites global exploration of carrying knowledge, history, and materials. A jury panel including Paula Nascimento, Eungie Joo, and Gerardo Mosquera selected the winners.