Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale
As senior advisor and the executive producer, and part of the original senior management team at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in Saudi Arabia, we developed, designed and delivered the country’s first ever contemporary art biennale.
The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale in Diriyah, Riyadh, hosted in the JAX District, is an international showcase and celebration of contemporary art, featuring artists from around the world.
Spanning approximately 20,000 square meters, the Biennale assumes a critical role in nurturing creative expression and instilling an appreciation for culture and the arts and their transformative potential.
These Biennales showcase some of the world’s leading artists and drive cultural exchange between the Kingdom and international communities.
Find out more about the at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation’s website.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026, 'In Interludes and Transitions'
drawing from a colloquial phrase invoking the cycles of encampments and journeys in nomadic communities in the Arabian Peninsula, taking as a point of departure the movements, migrations, and transformations that continue to connect the Gulf region with the world.
This Biennale produced by Diriyah Biennale Foundation with its curation led by co-artistic directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed is conceived as a choreography in which histories, ancestors, dreams, and premonitions move together through song, stories, dance, and whirlwinds.
Find out more at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation website.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 - In Interludes and Transitions. Petrit Halilaj, ‘Very volcanic over this green feather’ (2021). Photo by Alessandro Brasile, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 - In Interludes and Transitions. Pio Abad, ‘Vanwa’ (2023/2026). Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 - In Interludes and Transitions. Nour Mobarak, ‘Dafne Phono’ (2024). Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 - In Interludes and Transitions. Shadia Alem, ‘Transformation – Jinniyat Lar’ (1996/2026). Photo by Alessandro Brasile, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 - In Interludes and Transitions. Faisal Samra ‘Immortal Moment III (Post Shock Creatures 02)’ (2026). Nolan Oswald Dennis ‘Black Liberation Zodiac (whale mouth solidarities)’ 2025. Photo by Alessandro Brasile, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 - In Interludes and Transitions. Théo Mercier, ‘House of Eternity’ (2026). Photo by Alessandro Brasile, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, 'After Rain'
Titled ‘After Rain’ the second edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale opened up a moment of revitalisation and renewal, presenting a Biennale as a nurturing entity, filled with life, while acknowledging the necessity of water for all forms of life that dwell and seek shelter on our planet.
Produced by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation with its curation led by Artistic Director Ute Meta Bauer, this Biennale presented works that engaged with the human-nature continuum, examined the built environment, observed the state of our surrounding landscapes, recounted histories, and encouragedus to listen more closely.
Find out more at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation’s website.
Marjetica Potrč, Acre Palafita with Infrastructure (2024). Exhibition view: Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024: After Rain (20 February–24 May 2024). Photo by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
After Rain, Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, Martha Atienza, Equation of State (2019/2024). Photo by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
After Rain, Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, El Anatsui, Logoligi Logarithm (2019). Photo by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
After Rain, Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, Sopheap Pich, Rang Phnom Flower (2015). Photo by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
After Rain, Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, Alia Farid, In Lieu of What Was (2019). Chibayish (2022). Chibayish (2023). Photo by Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2021/2, 'Feeling the Stones'
‘Feeling the Stones’ was the title of the inaugural Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale.
It’s title 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 the Diriyah Biennale Foundation’s core mission of empowering artistic spirit as a force for meaningful change.
Produced by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation with its curation led by Artistic Director Philip Tinari, this Biennale’s theme was a metaphorical journey through the nuances of artistic production and ideas that, just like social reform, saw art as a process – incremental, tentative, and, ultimately, directed improvisation.
Find out more at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation’s website.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2021/2 - 'Feeling the Stones'. Will Glendinning at the Opening Ceremony in front of Richard Long's 'Red Earth Circle' (1989/2021).
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2021/2 - 'Feeling the Stones'. Photo courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2021/2 - 'Feeling the Stones'. Photo courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
