The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has revealed the final list of participating artists for the upcoming edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, set to open on 30 January 2026.
The newly announced artists include Pacita Abad, Pio Abad, Abdullah Miniawy Trio, Etel Adnan, Leen Ajlan, Elyas Alavi, Shadia Alem, Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, Nouf Al-Harthi, Ramy Alqthami, Abdullah Al Saadi, Lulua Alyahya, Ismaïl Bahri, Dineo Seshee Bopape (Raisibe), Ayman Yousry Daydban, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Eric Gyamfi, Samia Halaby, Hazem Harb, Ho Rui An, Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, Amaka Jaji, Kayfa ta, Moshekwa Langa, Daniel Lind-Ramos, Guadalupe Maravilla, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Mochu, Abdelkarim Qassem, K P Reji, Faisal Samra, Amina Saoudi Aït Khay, Bogosi Sekhukhuni, Karan Shrestha, Elias Sime, Rajesh Chaitya Vangad and Müge Yılmaz.
Under the theme of In Interludes and Transitions, the biennale will take place in Riyadh’s JAX District and will be led by artistic directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, with scenography by the Italian design studio, Formafantasma.
Participants will work across various media and disciplines, including visual art, film, music, architecture and writing, with 22 new commissions set to be unveiled at the event. Each artist will respond to the chosen theme, seeking to navigate the upheaval of the past few decades by using imagination and innovation to create practices of collective resilience as a way forward in an uncertain world.
Aya Al-Bakree, CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, said: “Our curatorial team has brought together a group of artists that represents many generations, regions and disciplines. We are proud that we are convening such a rich diversity of artistic practices in Diriyah, and I look forward to welcoming our audiences here for an experience of this great breadth of perspectives and narratives.”
Full artist list:
Pacita Abad
Pio Abad
Rand Abdul Jabbar
Abdullah Miniawy Trio
Etel Adnan
Yussef Agbo-Ola [Olaniyi Studio]
Leen Ajlan
Ahaad Alamoudi
Elyas Alavi
Afra Al Dhaheri
Shadia Alem
Mohammad Al-Ghamdi
Mohammed Alhamdan (7amdan)
Nouf Al-Harthi
Ramy Alqthami
Abdullah Al Saadi
Ruba Al-Sweel
Lulua Alyahya
Ismaïl Bahri
Taysir Batniji
Dineo Seshee Bopape (Raisibe)
Raven Chacon
Ayman Yousry Daydban
Nolan Oswald Dennis
Rohini Devasher
Merve Ertufan
Ivana Franke
Rahima Gambo
Eric Gyamfi
Samia Halaby
Petrit Halilaj
Hazem Harb
Aziz Hazara
Ho Rui An
Alana Hunt
Kamala Ibrahim Ishag
Amaka Jaji
Kayfa ta
Yazan Khalili
Moshekwa Langa
Daniel Lind-Ramos
George Mahashe
Guadalupe Maravilla
Naminapu Maymuru-White
Théo Mercier
Nour Mobarak
Mochu
Nancy Mounir
Hussein Nassereddine
Daniel Otero Torres
Thảo Nguyên Phan
Gala Porras-Kim
Sarker Protick
Abdelkarim Qassem
Raqs Media Collective
K.P. Reji
Faisal Samra
Oscar Santillán
Amina Saoudi Aït Khay
Bogosi Sekhukhuni
Karan Shrestha
Elias Sime
Trương Công Tùng
Rajesh Chaitya Vangad
Wolff Architects
Agustina Woodgate
Müge Yılmaz
Yu Ji
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 runs from 30 January extended until 2 May 2026
