KARACHI: Apart from a formal ceremony and display of various forms of art, performative and digital, the opening ceremony of the first Karachi Biennale on Saturday evening also announced the winner of the Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation Juried Art Prize. The prize was awarded to artist Ali Kazim. The opening Ceremony of Karachi Biennale 2017 (KB17) took place at the historical 160-year old Narayan Jagannath Vaidya (NJV) High School on October 21. The biennale is open to public from October 22 to November 5. Born in Pattoki, Ali Kazim currently teaches at the National College of Arts Lahore Department of Fine Arts. Kazim’s multi-disciplinary artistic piece was the sensitive selection of materials in order to articulate the subject most efficaciously. In his installation for KB17, Kazim used human hair to create a three-dimensional drawing in the space. The work derived from the artist’s interest in the complexity of the human body, both in its physiognomy and as a thematic concern. Kazim was selected for the award by three independent jurors. The jury comprised of international cultural journalist Ingo Arand, international art historian and critic on modern and contemporary South Asian art Savita Apte and one of Pakistan’s leading contemporary art collectors Khurrum Kasim. The KB17 jury convened from October 18-20, examining over 140 works of art displayed across 12 venues. Their judgment was based on originality of creativity, interpretation of the theme ‘witness’, innovative use of material and imagination of depiction. Over 140 artists would showcase their work at the biennale which would be open to public at 12 venues all across the city, with five on MA Jinnah Road. The artists have come from Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Far East, and various parts of Pakistan. The works of internationally renowned artists like Yoko Ono, Shahzia Sikander, Richard Humann, Michelangelo Pistoletto, ORLAN, Bani Abedi, Meher Afroz, Miro Craemer, Bankleer, and Ruby Chishti, among others, would be on display for a large audience. To help the audience get an insight into the work and expand interdisciplinary connections with art, Karachi Biennale offers educational and discursive interaction to visitors. In this regard, a series of conversations and lectures across two weeks of the event featuring Meher Afroz, Savita Apte , Saquib Hanif, Dr Marek Bartelik, Dr Marcella Sirhandi, Paolo De Grandis, Carlos Aceros Ruiz, Adriana Almada, and Dannys Montes de Oca Moreda, would be held at the ZVMG Rangoonwala Community Centre and the State Bank auditoriums. Published in Daily Times, October 23rd 2017.