RIYADH: The Hajj Terminal in Jeddah will play host to the second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale from Jan. 25 to May 25.
Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, this edition explores how faith is experienced, expressed and celebrated through emotions, thoughts and creation.
Following the success of the first Islamic Arts Biennale in 2023 — which ran under the theme “Awwal Bait” or “First House” — this time it is titled “And All That Is In-Between.”
There will be over 30 global institutions participating from countries including Saudi Arabia, France, Egypt, Indonesia, the UK and US.
The showcase will include more than 500 historical artifacts and contemporary artworks including pieces from Makkah and Madinah. They have been loaned by museums including the Louvre in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
In addition, more than 20 artists and collectives from Saudi Arabia and beyond will present new commissions, including Libyan artist Nour Jaouda.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who serves as chairman of the board of trustees of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, highlighted the transformative power of the arts in a statement to Arab News.
“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.
Aya Al-Bakree, CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, said the event was growing “through its expert curatorial leadership, and in the participation of world-leading institutions and artists.”
Al-Bakree added that the program would “cement the biennale as a global platform for cultural exchange and a reference point for new research into the field.”
The biennale’s curatorial team is led by Julian Raby, Amin Jaffer and Abdul Rahman Azzam, with Saudi Arabia artist Muhannad Shono as the curator of contemporary art.
Highlights include celestial navigation, Islamic gardens and a competition for the design of a new prayer space, with the winning entry being constructed on-site.
The Vatican Library will participate in the event, showcasing several works from its collections, in “The Art of Numbers” display at the Al-Madar section of the biennale.
“The esteemed collaboration between the library and the biennale offers a tangible opportunity for fostering fraternity through universal symbols, which serve as powerful tools for understanding and connection, promoting dialogue and cooperation among diverse cultures,” archivist and librarian Angelo Vincenzo Zani said.
“This significant project aspires to build bridges between the past, present and future, celebrating the rich diversity of artistic expressions within Islamic culture and standing as a concrete model of integral anthropology.”
The prefect of the Vatican Library, the Rev. Don Mauro Mantovani, said the works going on display at the biennale were extremely rare and invaluable.
“Since the dawn of civilization, numbers, from the simplest contemplation of quantities and relationships among entities to the most intricate mathematical systems and cutting-edge digital technologies, have been a constant companion to human history, forging connections and building bridges between peoples, cultures, societies, as well as philosophical and religious perspectives,” he said.
