'Biennale brings people together'.

Byline: Peerzada Salman

KARACHI -- It was a lovely setting. The weather had relented and it wasn't as hot in the evening as it was in the afternoon. Guests started to drive through the entrance to the Bagh Ibne Qasim from the side where a huge incomplete building stands aloft next to the shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi from 5pm. It took an hour or less for the chief guest, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, to arrive, after which proceedings for the second Karachi Biennale (KB19) on Saturday began.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO of KB19 Niilofur Farrukh said Karachi is one of the courageous cities of the world that holds the biennale because it is not a mean task - it brings people together, it energises the city.

This year the theme of the event is ecology. The title 'flight interrupted: eco-leaks from the invasion desk' alludes to the low-flying birds of the city which we have lost due to high-rise buildings. The organisers want that their dreams and the dreams of the participating artists should come together to arrange the biennale.

Ms Farrukh lauded her team, especially the curator of KB19, Muhammad Zeeshan, and the sponsors, for putting up the show. She added the mandate of KB19 is to connect art, the city and its people.

Mr Zeeshan said people always complain about the government not supporting them but in his case he saw the opposite. He thanked the mayor for lending his support to the programme. He wished to take art to the common man, and without the mayor's help it wouldn't have been possible.

He also talked about changes in his perceptions of things while curating the project, especially when he worked alongside the likes of carpenters and electricians.

Mayor Akhtar started off...