Saudi Arabia: Diriyah Biennale Foundation
broadens the vision of the Islamic Arts Biennale 2027
From a periodic exhibition to a year-round global platform, the third
edition signals deeper institutional collaboration, curatorial experimentation,
and an expanded commitment to the living study of Islamic heritage.
Diriyah Biennial Foundation has
announced that the third edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale will run from 1
November 2027 to 1 March 2028 at the award-winning Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz
International Airport in Jeddah.
Set beneath the terminal’s vast canopy — long associated with pilgrimage and
passage — the Biennale once again inhabits a site defined by convergence and
spiritual movement.
For centuries, Jeddah has served as a gateway for pilgrims travelling to the
holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. Within this geography of arrival and
departure, the Islamic Arts Biennale has established itself as a distinctive
global platform dedicated exclusively to the arts of Islamic civilisations,
past and present.
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A curatorial model built on dialogue
What sets the Biennale apart is its refusal to confine Islamic art to a
historical framework. Instead, it creates encounters between rare historical
artefacts and newly commissioned contemporary works. Manuscripts, textiles,
architectural fragments, and devotional objects are presented alongside
installations, digital works, and architectural interventions.
Rather than offering a conventional survey, the exhibition fosters dialogue
— reframing Islamic heritage as dynamic, generative, and continuously in
conversation with the present.
The scale of participation has expanded steadily. Across its first two
editions, the Biennale presented more than 500 historical objects from over 40
institutions in 20 countries. The second edition saw the number of
participating institutions triple, reflecting growing international trust and
collaboration.
Key Saudi partnerships — including the General Authority for the Care of the
Two Holy Mosques, the King Abdulaziz Waqf Libraries Assembly, and the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra)
— have enabled landmark public presentations. Among the most notable was the
2025 display of the Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba in its entirety outside Makkah for
the first time, underscoring the Foundation’s commitment to accessibility and
stewardship of sacred heritage.
From exhibition to orbit: AlMadar
The 2027 edition marks not only continuity but structural evolution. The
Foundation confirmed that both the Islamic Arts Biennale and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale will open at
the end of each year, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s broader cultural calendar
and enabling sustained institutional focus.
Central to this evolution is AlMadar — meaning “The Orbit” — an initiative
designed to transform the Biennale into a year-round global platform. First
introduced during the inaugural edition, AlMadar reflects a conceptual shift:
viewing Islamic heritage not as a closed canon, but as an evolving field shaped
by scholarship, craftsmanship, migration, and reinterpretation.
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Going forward, AlMadar will operate across four pillars:
·
AlMadar Exhibition:
Anchoring each Biennale edition, alongside expanded public programming.
·
AlMadar Digital:
A research and storytelling platform leveraging technology for global access.
·
AlMadar
Initiatives: Symposia, talks, and workshops supporting research and
creative practice.
·
AlMadar Community:
A network connecting institutions for sustained knowledge exchange.
Expanding ambition and expertise
H.E. Rakan Altouq, Vice Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees,
described the third edition as a consolidation of ambition, noting that each
iteration has broadened how Islamic arts are presented and studied, with
increasing emphasis on experimentation and contemporary relevance.
CEO Aya Al-Bakree highlighted the Western Hajj Terminal as both symbolically
and practically significant — a setting that enables new forms of institutional
collaboration and art historical inquiry beneath its expansive canopy.
Curatorial leadership for 2027 will be selected through an open call for
proposals, followed by committee evaluation. The chosen team will draw on
multidisciplinary expertise spanning archaeology, architecture, art history,
contemporary art, and cartography — reflecting the Biennale’s growing ambition
to examine Islamic arts as aesthetic expression, spatial practice, intellectual
tradition, and lived culture.
As it approaches its third edition, the Islamic Arts Biennale is redefining
its scope. No longer simply a recurring exhibition, it is positioning itself as
a sustained platform for preservation, interpretation, and experimentation —
inviting audiences in Jeddah and beyond to engage with Islamic art not as
static inheritance, but as orbit, circulation, and living exchange.
Source: Art Africa Magazine
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