Saudi Arabia names curators for 2027 Islamic Arts Biennale

The curators leading the third edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale in Saudi Arabia in 2027 have been announced.

Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the biennale will open Nov. 1, 2027, at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The biennale, described as the world’s first event dedicated exclusively to Islamic art and culture, will bring together historical works and contemporary art through different curatorial narratives spanning the past and present.

The 2027 edition will be led by Nada Raza, director of the Alserkal Arts Foundation; William Robinson, former head of Islamic Art at Christie’s and a specialist in the field; Alain Fouad George, professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Oxford and director of the Lusail Institute in Doha; and Idries Trevathan, former chief curator of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra.

Different periods of Islamic art

Each curator will develop a separate exhibition reflecting their own approach. The third edition will examine the arts of Islamic societies through themes of mobility, encounters and cultural exchange.

Alongside tangible cultural heritage, the biennale will place greater emphasis on intangible heritage, with a focus on community and social resilience.

The event will also bring together significant works from Islamic art collections around the world and feature newly commissioned contemporary artworks.

The biennale’s AlMadar, or “Orbit,” platform, which aims to strengthen institutional partnerships, will also expand for the 2027 edition.

The platform brings together museums, cultural institutions and arts organizations from Saudi Arabia and around the world. Plans include creating a digitized archive and developing new programs in Saudi Arabia and with international partner institutions.

In the biennale’s outdoor area, the design selected for the second edition of the AlMusalla Prize will be displayed. The award focuses on rethinking the future of spaces for prayer.

According to the foundation, the winning design will be installed beneath the iconic canopies of the Hajj Terminal and presented alongside contemporary artworks and public programs.

4 curators, different areas of expertise

Raza, in addition to her role at the Alserkal Arts Foundation, previously served as artistic director of Dubai’s Ishara Art Foundation and held curatorial positions at Tate Modern and the Tate Research Centre: Transnational.

Robinson has more than 40 years of experience in Islamic art. He spent nearly three decades at Christie’s, where he headed its Islamic Art and Carpets departments. He left the auction house in 2022 and now works as an independent adviser and researcher.

George, a professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at the University of Oxford, specializes in Umayyad art and architecture, early Quranic manuscripts and the history of Arabic calligraphy. He also directs the Lusail Institute in Doha.

Trevathan, who previously served as chief curator at Ithra, is known for his work exploring and presenting Islamic art as a living tradition. During his time at Ithra, he organized exhibitions and international collaborations focused on Islamic art and culture.

The Islamic Arts Biennale is organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, established in 2020 to support culture and the arts in Saudi Arabia. The foundation alternates between the Islamic Arts Biennale and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale.

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