The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has announced the theme and the lineup of artists participating in the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025.
Scheduled from January 25 to May 25, 2025, the Islamic Arts Biennale will take place at the at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport, in the coastal city of Jeddah. This year’s edition will focus on examining the personal experience of faith through emotions, thinking and creative works.
All That Is In Between
The Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will take place under the theme “All That Is In Between.” The title is derived from a verse that repeatedly appears in the Noble Quran: “And God created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in between.” It reflects the absolute and all-encompassing majesty of God’s creation through the perception and experience of humankind.
The second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale will delve deeper into how humans try to understand the greatness of God’s creation. To this end, it will exhibit more than 500 objects and contemporary artworks across 5 halls and outdoor spaces.
Location Symbolism
The choice of Jeddah as a host of the event carries cultural significance. For centuries, the coastal city has been a gathering point of different cultures. Millions of Muslim pilgrims stop by the Jeddah’s Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport every year during their sacred journeys for Hajj and Umrah.
Hence, the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will closely examine the multifaceted ways faith is experienced, felt and celebrated by juxtaposing historical objects from various Islamic cultures with contemporary artworks.
The Biennale will shed light on how cultures endure amid the ongoing transformations in Saudi Arabia through a global lens. The event will spark a dialogue between the historic and contemporary artworks in display. Meanwhile, the location of the Biennale will bolster its connection to Islamic culture and faith.
The Power of Arts
The Biennale plays an important role in highlighting the significance of Islamic arts in enriching the past and present civilizations. On this occasion, the Saudi Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, Prince Badr bin Farhan, pointed to the transformative power of arts in building a vibrant and thriving society.
Furthermore, he underscored the Diriyah Biennale Foundation’s commitment to such powerful initiatives that aim to foster creative expression, arts and culture, as well as boosting the global artistic landscape.
“Building on the remarkable success of the inaugural edition, the second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale comes with greater ambition, expanded partnerships, and a diverse selection of artistic and cultural institutions, patrons, as well as artists from Saudi Arabia and countries that have rich Islamic culture and traditions,” Prince Badr said.
He hoped that the Islamic Arts Biennale will lead to a deeper understanding of the great impact of Islamic arts on the global civilizations since the rise of Islam to our present day. He added that the Biennale will continue to serve as a trusted platform for the Islamic arts, nurturing future practices and discourse.
Displaying Treasured Artifacts
The artistic directors Julian Raby, Amin Jaffer, Abdul Rahman Azzam and the Saudi artist Muhannad Shono are leading the grand event. The Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will showcase the works of over 30 artists from Saudi Arabia and countries around the world. It will also exhibit some of the most treasured artworks of the Islamic civilization.
Moreover, the participating artists will present new artworks that align with the historical Islamic artifacts, fostering a harmonious dialogue and creating a diverse experience that prompt visitors to reflect on topics such as time, space and light. These works offer insights into the ways of preserving culture amid the ongoing transformation in the Kingdom.
The Biennale will loan valuable historical artifacts, religious objects, and artworks from major institutions in various countries. These include the Louvre Museum (Paris) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), in addition to works from institutions dedicated to Islamic arts and culture, such as the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research (Timbuktu), the Museum of Islamic Art (Doha), and the Manuscript Institution of Türkiye (Istanbul).
Additionally, the Biennale will see the participation of several reputable institutions from around Saudi Arabia, including the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) (Dhahran), the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries (Madinah), and the King Fahad National Library (Riyadh). It will also offer visitors a chance to see objects and works of art from the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah.
Influence of Islamic Civilization
The Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will involve 7 distinguished components: AlBidaya, AlMadar, AlMuqtani, AlMathala, Makkah al-Mukarramah, Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, and AlMusalla. They will be spread over different galleries and outdoor spaces, spanning 100,000 square meters of dedicated exhibition space.
The participating artworks will draw inspiration from the concept of garden in the Islamic civilization, with a focus on nature and traditional design of Islamic gardens. They will also discuss several contemporary environmental and social issues through 4 tracks.
In the light of this, the CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, Aya Al-Bakree, said: “The arts of Islamic civilization, both contemporary and historic, and those made in or inspired by Islamic communities around the world, have influenced cultural discourse for centuries until today.”
She added that with an unwavering purpose to craft perspectives, “we are proud to announce the growth of the Islamic Arts Biennale in its second edition, evident through its expert curatorial leadership and the participation of world-leading institutions and artists coming together as part of an outstanding program that will cement the Biennale as a global platform for cultural exchange and a reference point for new research into the field.”
Participating Artists
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation announced the lineup of artists participating in the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025. They include more than 30 Saudi and international artists who will showcase 29 newly commissioned works. These artists include Fatima Abdulhadi; Bilal Allaf; Nasser Alzayani; Ahmed Angawi; Abdelkader Benchamma; Gabriel Chaile; Saeed Gebaan; Louis Guillaume; Joana Hadji Thomas and Khalil Joreige; Bashaer Hawsawi; Hylozoic/Desires; and Nour Jaouda.
يجمع بينالي الفنون الإسلامية 2025 أكثر من 30 فناناً من أنحاء العالم، سيعرضون 29 عملاً فنياً جديداً تم إنتاجه بتكليف خاص. تسلط هذه الأعمال الضوء على مختلف أشكال التعبير الفني عن الإيمان من خلال الحس والفكر والإبداع.
انضموا إلينا في صالة الحجاج الغربية بمطار الملك عبدالعزيز الدولي… pic.twitter.com/5CYH3opO7S
— Diriyah Biennale Foundation (@Biennale_Sa) December 23, 2024
Furthermore, the list includes Tamara Kalo; Raya Kassisieh; Asif Khan; Lucia Koch; Takashi Kuribayashi; Ahmed Mater; Mehdi Moutashar; Timo Nasseri; Hayat Osamah; Nohemi Perez; Imran Qureshi; Anhar Salem; Arcangelo Sassolino; Iqra Tanveer; Ehsan Ul Haq; Charwei Tsai; Asim Waqif; Ala Younis; and Osman Yousefzada.
