ONE FOUNDATION

TWO BIENNALES

The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale is an international showcase and celebration of Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art scene in dialogue with global artists, as well as Saudi Arabia’s evolving position as a major global art hub.

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THE VENUE

Taking place every two years since 2021, the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale takes place in JAX District, an industrial area with over 100 warehouses in the historic city of Diriyah.

JAX is an industrial area repurposed into a creative hub and has gained recognition as a revitalized hive of creativity, with exhibition spaces, artists’ studios, art galleries and platforms all supporting a dynamic and growing arts ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.

About-DFB

THE FIRST EDITION OF THE DIRIYAH CONTEMPORARY ART BIENNALE MARKED THE BEGINNING OF ERA-DEFINING CONNECTIONS, A CELEBRATION OF SAUDI ARABIA’S CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE AND THE KINGDOM’S EVOLVING POSITION AS A MAJOR GLOBAL ART POWERHOUSE.

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation was deeply aware of the current level of recognition enjoyed by Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art and sought to engage visitors with all that the Kingdom’s most creative minds had to offer and most importantly, what it meant in a global and local context. This was achieved via never-seen-before commissions, unique events, interpretive materials, and a rich public program of talks, seminars, workshops and performances. The environment for the Biennale was conceived through collaboration, with Jeddah-based architecture firm Bricklab leading on the design of the Biennale spaces, and US-based firm wHY leading on the Biennale’s scenography. One area of the JAX site was repurposed to create a custom-made art space to present immersive contemporary art exhibitions, offering an interactive experience for visitors to engage with.

CURATORIAL FRAMEWORK

“Feeling the Stones“ was drawn from a saying that emerged during the 1980s as a metaphor for action at a time of social and economic transformation, ‘crossing the river by feeling the stones’, which encapsulates considered progress – transformation through intelligent actions, echoing Diriyah Biennale Foundation’s core mission of empowering artistic spirit as a force for meaningful change.

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THE CURATORS

Curator
CURATOR PHILIP TINARI
Curator
ASSISTANT CURATOR WEJDAN REDA
Curator
ASSISTANT CURATOR SHIXUAN LUAN
Curator
ASSISTANT CURATOR NEIL ZHENG

THE ARTISTS

The Artists

Feeling the Stones

The First Edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale marked the beginning of era-defining connections, a celebration of Saudi Arabia’s Contemporary Art scene and the Kingdom’s evolving position as a major global art powerhouse.

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DB ART 101

About-DFB

DB (Diriyah Biennale) Art 101 was a series of introductory talks on foundational concepts in art and culture led by specialists in the field. What is contemporary art? What is the role of a curator? What is art law? What is a biennale? Experts provided answers to these and other key topics essential to the growth of the art and culture sector in the Kingdom.

Here is where visitors could widen their arts and culture knowledge base by understanding the many aspects of the flourishing art and culture sector. JAX is a developing cultural center with ambitions to host year-round programming, educational opportunities, and connect visitors to interactive and engaging artforms.