The Islamic Arts Biennale is the world’s first biennial dedicated to the Islamic arts, offering the opportunity for renewed perspective and research around the genre.
THE VENUE
Taking place every two years since 2023, the Islamic Arts Biennale takes place at the SOM designed and Aga Khan award-winning Western Hajj Terminal in the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, a city that for centuries has represented a junction point for cultural exchange and a port of entry for millions of pilgrims on their journey to Mecca and Medina
IN ITS INAUGURAL EDITION, THE ISLAMIC ARTS BIENNALE CELEBRATED THE ART OF ISLAM—THE ART OF BEING A MUSLIM.
This Biennale titled AWWAL BAIT ‘FIRST HOUSE’ explored the timeless rituals that have defined Islam from its beginning through to the present day. These rituals are about movement, sound, and invisible lines of direction. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the two holy mosques and the sacred landscapes around them, is the spiritual focus for Muslims across the world. Awwal Bait, literally meaning “First House,” refers to the Ka’bah in Makkah, the holiest site in Islam. This Islamic Arts Biennale is situated at the gateway to Makkah, in the historic Hajj Terminal in Jeddah. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1981 and recipient of the 1983 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, each year this prestigious building welcomes millions of pilgrims making their way to the Ka’bah. Over the centuries billions of people from around the world have passed through this region, the Hijaz—sharing their rituals, crafts, traditions, and knowledge—making it one of the greatest areas of cultural exchange on Earth.
However diverse Muslims across the globe may be, the Awwal Bait, the First House of Allah in Makkah, is in all their hearts, and always present in the daily rituals of worship. This shared source of faith, shared philosophies, and shared sense of belonging unite all Muslims. The Islamic Arts Biennale juxtaposed contemporary art and historical artifacts as expressions of this sense of belonging—of being at “home,” both at a personal, human level, and on the scale of the infinite and eternal.
CURATORIAL FRAMEWORK
THE BIENNALE WAS ORGANIZED AROUND TWO MAIN THEMES: QIBLAH AND HIJRAH.
PART 1: QIBLAH / SACRED DIRECTION
The Qiblah is the direction of the Ka’bah in Makkah, which every Muslim faces in their daily prayers. It unites Muslims at prayer in one collective, planet-wide gathering.
The first part of the Biennale traces a journey toward this shared spiritual focus through daily and yearly Islamic ritual. In a sequence of galleries, historical objects and contemporary artworks offer reflections on these acts of faith. They begin with the adhan (the call to prayer), traveling ceaselessly across the world with the movement of the sun. Ritual purification prepares Muslims for the practice of daily salat (prayer), whether performed as individuals or in a congregation. The exhibition looks at how the end of life is marked, before ending in a display of two priceless historical artifacts from the Ka’bah itself.
PART 2: HIJRAH / MIGRATION
The Hijrah was the journey of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers from Makkah to Madinah, fleeing persecution. This “migration” marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
Many migrations in our world are associated with loss and displacement. But they can also be communal celebrations that fortify a sense of universal belonging—bridges between here and elsewhere.
The second part of the Biennale, under the canopy of the Hajj Terminal, presents specially commissioned artworks that reflect on the theme of migration in multiple senses, from the way that culture travels and is exchanged, to how pilgrimage has coloured the cultural life of the Hijaz.
Within the landscape under the canopy, two pavilions showcase rarely seen historical artifacts from the cities of Makkah and Madinah and highlight the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as custodian of the holiest sites of Islam.
THE CURATORS
THE ARTISTS
AWWAL BAIT
In its inaugural edition, the Islamic Arts Biennale celebrated the art of Islam—the art of being a Muslim. The Islamic Arts Biennale juxtaposed contemporary art and historical artifacts as expressions of this sense of belonging—of being at “home,” both at a personal, human level, and on the scale of the infinite and eternal.
ALMADAR: COLLECTIONS MEET CONNECTIONS
ARABIC FOR ‘THE ORBIT’, ALMADAR IS A SATELLITE EXHIBITION HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ISLAMIC ARTS BIENNALE, AND SERVES TO OPEN DOORS TO FUTURE PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS.
Inviting and bringing together institutions and individuals from the Kingdom and all over the world to showcase their collections in a dedicated gallery space, AlMadar aspires to become a global reference and repository for thought-provoking dialogue, and a nexus for the exchange of practices and innovative research around tangible and intangible traditions of arts and culture from the Islamic World.
This year’s edition starts by paying homage to patron Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah (1948–2020) and celebrates 40 years of the seminal al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait. Alongside this, objects from around the world are displayed in an unprecedented mingling of institutional collections from Mali, Egypt, Tunisia, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Oman, and Qatar.
Finally, to embrace the significance of the Biennale taking place at the iconic Hajj Terminal, visitors are invited to explore how the innovative structure came to life—both in its journey from design concept to physical structure, and in its embrace by millions of pilgrims—and why it remains a testament to Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and forward-looking energy.