As the global art elite converges on Venice for the 61st Biennale’s preview week, the Pakistan Pavilion stands as a highly anticipated focal point in the Dorsoduro district. Housed within the Ex Farmacia Solveni, the exhibition “Punj•AB — A Sublime Terrain” marks Pakistan’s second national pavilion in the history of the Biennale. Featuring the solo work of London-based artist Faiza Butt, the showcase moves beyond mere representation, offering a rigorous deconstruction of the Punjab region’s identity. The exhibition officially opens to the public on May 9, following a three-day VIP Vernissage that begins this Wednesday.

Butt utilizes her distinct “Purdakht” pointillist technique to navigate the scarred geography of the 1947 Partition, weaving a narrative that is both deeply personal and politically charged. The title, Punj•AB, evokes the “Five Waters” of her ancestral land, serving as a metaphor for a cultural fluidity that refuses to be contained by geopolitical borders. By layering intricate imagery with themes of memory and displacement, Butt challenges the traditional “sublime” of Western art history, replacing it with a South Asian perspective that is grounded in the grit and resilience of the human experience.

The 2026 pavilion cements Butt’s trajectory as a leading voice in the South Asian diaspora, following her acclaimed presence at the 2024 Personal Structures exhibition. For Pakistan, this return to Venice is a strategic cultural milestone, signaling a sustained commitment to the international contemporary art dialogue. As the doors prepare to open to the international press, “Punj•AB” is poised to be one of the most significant regional contributions to this year’s Biennale, offering a profound meditation on how heritage survives the fractures of history.