Karachi Biennale Cancels Fifth Edition, Citing Regional War

By Grace Kim

The Karachi Biennale has cancelled its fifth edition, themed "Kal" (Tomorrow), citing "war conditions prevailing in the region." The announcement came via Instagram, Hyperallergic reports. The exhibition was due to run January 16 to 31.

The mechanics behind the cancellation are messy. Curator Noor Ahmed reportedly was not consulted on the decision. "Artists and partners have been contacting me, and they are all quite disappointed about how communications and commitments with them are being handled," Ahmed told Hyperallergic. She called the closure "detrimental for Pakistan's international art ecosystem" and added: "during a time of stated war and unrest, art becomes all the more powerful."

The scale of the loss is concrete: over 100 artists and three co-curators were engaged with the project. The Karachi Biennale Trust, which organizes the event, did not respond to a request for comment.

What shattered at the British Museum?

A 300-year-old Jingdezhen porcelain bowl and box mysteriously shattered inside a display case at the British Museum, and photos of the fragments spread fast on social media. The museum confirmed the incident occurred on October 4 but found no signs explaining how the bowl could have fallen onto the box below, breaking both objects. Both are now being repaired.

Chinese visitors posted photographs of the broken pieces, which, as the South China Morning Put reported, "has sparked debate on Chinese social media over how museums should protect fragile works." Artforum also covered the incident, noting the perceived lack of attention around it.

What's happening with art freedom in Germany?

At the opening ceremony for the newly expanded Kunsthalle Würth in Schwäbisch Hall, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned of nationalist threats to the "freedom of art." He referenced the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation museum and design center, which, he said, "fears for its survival."

The Digest

• Art Cologne, an art fair founded in 1967, is moving to a more spacious venue in Hall 1 of the Confex Conference and Exhibition Center, starting with the October 2027 edition.
• Donald Insall, an architect and "pioneering conservationist" who worked on renovating and preserving Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire, has died at age 100, his studio announced.
• Meet Invictibellatrix amberina, a newly discovered cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex whose fossil was uncovered on the Isle of Wight. The name partly means "unconquered female warrior."
• In a first, Israel returned 22 antiquities to Greece, amid Greece's campaign to restitute missing parts of the Acropolis held in museums worldwide, including the Parthenon Marbles.
• A 15th-century mosque in Thessaloniki, once used as a cinema called Alacazar, has reopened as an arts and cultural exhibition space run by the Metropolitan Organization of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki (MOMus) after years of restoration.

The Kicker: the oldest shipwreck on record

Archaeologists have uncovered the oldest-known shipwreck off the Turkish coast, dating to between 4,400 and 4,700 years ago — roughly the era of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza. The Independent and the Journal of Maritime Archaeology report the find.

Researchers found double-handled ceramic containers and stone anchors likely carried on a wooden trade ship whose hull has long vanished. "The three-holed stone anchors found in the wreck area resemble those seen in Bronze Age Minoan, Cypriot, Anatolian, Levantine contexts," the researchers stated, noting the details could reveal new information about Bronze Age shipping techniques.

Whether the Karachi Biennale can regroup for a future edition remains open — for now, more than 100 artists are left without a platform they were promised in January.