VENICE: Saudi visual artist Shalimar Sharbatly is showcasing 15 new paintings and a sculpture at the Venice Biennale, exploring the relationship between contemporary art, artificial intelligence and movement. Sharbatly’s “Harmony Shalimar” exhibition is being held alongside the Contemporary Art Exhibition accompanying the 61st Venice International Art Biennale, which runs until Sept. 18. The exhibition also features artists Davy Mann and Rosa Mondi. Her latest work reflects her ongoing experimentation with new technologies and artistic forms. Alongside the 15 paintings, she is presenting a new sculpture for the first time as part of her “Shalashm” project, which she is developing alongside her “Moving Art” practice. Sharbatly described her participation in Venice as an important milestone in her career and said the new sculpture marked the beginning of a new phase centered on research and experimentation. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, she said: “The arrival of an Arab visual artist, and specifically a Saudi one, to the stronghold of global arts in Europe, especially in Venice, is a strong and important achievement, because the Biennale management is the one that chooses the participants, and their choice of me and naming the exhibition (Harmony Shalimar) after me is an unparalleled artistic leap, and something that constituted a great surprise for me.” She said the exhibition was also an opportunity to highlight Saudi Arabia’s growing presence in the international art scene. “The attention and praise for Saudi visual art, the celebration of the exhibition, and the keen interest in documenting its details were evident,” she said. For Sharbatly, the move into sculpture represents a natural continuation of years of experimentation with different forms of artistic expression. “An artist should not stop at one artistic style, but rather continue to search for new tools and spaces for expression,” she said. Through “Shalashm,” Sharbatly is exploring the relationship between form, mass, space and movement, with the aim of developing a distinct visual language. Her work with AI adds another dimension to that experimentation, bringing digital technology into dialogue with more traditional artistic practices. Her Venice appearance has also opened the door to further international collaborations. Sharbatly said she had received an invitation from the Biennale management to participate in upcoming exhibitions and art events in several countries. She has also been invited by Italian partners to create a work depicting a traditional Italian gondola for display at a heritage museum, while several Italian leather companies have expressed interest in collaborations involving artworks created on their products. A reception celebrating the exhibition’s opening was held Thursday evening at Palazzo Donna Dall’Oro in Venice, bringing together figures from the arts, media and business sectors. The event was attended by Sharbatly’s husband, Egyptian director Khaled Youssef, Saudi Radio Director Suha Riri, economist Khadija Nahfawi, blogger Sultan Qasim and Abdulaziz Al-Sultan. Sharbatly’s participation comes as Saudi artists gain increasing exposure at major international cultural events, reflecting the Kingdom’s broader efforts to expand its contemporary art scene and connect its artists with audiences and institutions around the world.