The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has revealed the title and theme for the 2025 Islamic Arts Biennale, as well as the list of participating institutions and artists.
The second edition of the Biennale entitled And all that is in between will take place from 25 January until 25 May 2025 in Jeddah at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport. The title and theme act as an invitation to discover the myriad ways faith can be expressed, felt, and celebrated. With the Western Hajj Terminal evoking the memory and feelings associated with the sacred pilgrimages to Hajj and Umrah each year, the thoughts and emotions associated with faith act as the driving force for the artwork to be exhibited. Faith is also seen in the act of creation, and will be felt in the contrast between contemporary art and historical objects from the Islamic world at the Biennale.
With Julian Raby, artistic director, Amin Jaffer Director of The Al Thani Collection, and curators Abdul Rahman Azzam with Muhannad Shono, acclaimed Saudi artist taking on the role of Curator of Contemporary Art, the Biennale will showcase more than five hundred objects and contemporary artworks, with over thirty international institutions from a range of countries set to participate.
The twenty commissions for the Biennale, created by a selection of global as well as Saudi Arabian artists will elevate the historical objects on show, deepening the understanding of the shifting cultural landscape of Saudi Arabia while also looking outward to the global community. In tandem, the Biennale will create a global platform from which to promote the work Saudi artists, as well as inviting international artists to take part, in an aim to foster creative diversity.
Prince Badr added: “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.”
Artist list:
Fatma Abdulhadi
Ahmad Angawi
Saeed Gebaan
Louis Guillaume
Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige
Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser)
Nour Jaouda
Tamara Kalo
Asif Khan
Takashi Kuribayashi
Ahmed Mater
Mehdi Moutashar
Timo Nasseri
Hayat Osama
Nohemi Pérez
Imran Qureshi
Arcangelo Sassolino
Charwei Tsai
Institutions:
The David Collection
Museum of Islamic Art
The Al Thani Collection
Louvre Museum
Benaki Museum
National Library of Indonesia
State Museum of West Nusa Tenggara
Sonobudoyo Museum
Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art
Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, al-Sabah Collection
Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research
National Museum – Sultanate of Oman
Khalidi Library
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Maritime Museum
Museum of Islamic Art
Qatar National Library
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries
King Fahad National Library
Trust for the Alhambra and Generalife, Alhambra Museum
Institute of Valencia de Don Juan
National Archaeological Museum
National Heritage Institute
Manuscript Institution of Türkiye
King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts
Victoria and Albert Museum
Bodleian Libraries
History of Science Museum, University of Oxford
Hispanic Society Museum and Library
Abu Rayhan Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies and the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, of the Art and Culture Development Foundation Uzbekistan
Vatican Apostolic Library
The 2025 Islamic Arts Biennale will run from 25 January to 25 May 2025
