Karachi Biennale opens submissions for emerging artist prize

Prize is open to Pakistani artists aged 35 and under, with proposals due by September 20

The Karachi Biennale Trust (KBT) has opened submissions for its EBM Emerging Artist Prize, part of the fifth Karachi Biennale (KB27), which is scheduled to take place in January, 2027. The prize is open to Pakistani visual and multidisciplinary artists aged 35 and under, with proposals due by September 20.

According to KBT, applicants must have at least five years of sustained artistic practice and either a background in a recognised creative discipline or equivalent professional experience. They must also be able to develop and execute a site-specific artwork for the Biennale.

The selected artist will receive a trophy at KB27's opening ceremony, along with a commission from KBT to produce the proposed work for the exhibition.

The prize is centred on the sub-theme Sediments: Realising Futures, which treats “sediment” as a process of transformation, layering and movement rather than a fixed geological term.

 

 

 

 

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The brief asks applicants to consider “how memory, ecology, technology, trade and community accumulate over time and shape future realities” and encourages a broad interpretation of the term, including accumulation, exchange, renewal and the traces left by movement.

Proposals may take the form of indoor or open-air installations and draw on visual, spatial, material, digital, sound, performative, interactive or interdisciplinary approaches.

A complete proposal must include a project title and concept statement, a description of the proposed artwork, its relationship to the sub-theme, site requirements and production methodology. Applicants must also submit sketches or renderings, a detailed budget, production timeline, installation and de-installation plan, and portfolio.

KBT said entries would be assessed on originality, engagement with the sub-theme, the strength of the applicant's existing practice, audience engagement potential, material sustainability, and the feasibility and clarity of the proposed budget.

The prize falls under KB27's broader curatorial theme, Tomorrow, led by curator Noor Ahmed, the second woman to hold the role in the Biennale's history. Ahmed previously served as assistant curator for Karachi Biennale 2019 and headed the Citizens Archive of Pakistan's digital archiving work between 2022 and 2025.

KB27 will be held from January 16 to 31, 2027, at multiple public sites across Karachi. The Biennale will continue the approach established at its 2017 debut of using the city's ports, parks and public spaces rather than a single gallery venue.