Inaugural Diriyah Biennale art exhibition opens in Riyadh

The first Diriyah Biennale art exhibition has kicked off in the JAX district of Diriyah, just outside of Riyadh.

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The Biennale invites local and international artists to exhibit their works from Saturday until March 11 2022.

“The biennial aims at two aspects,” said curator Philip Tinari in a statement carried by SPA. “The first includes presenting contemporary Saudi art in a rich dialogue, presenting its perceptions and visions of the global scene, and the other part, by exciting Saudi audiences to get acquainted closely with the world of contemporary art.”

He went on to say: “We look forward to welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to discover the Biennale for themselves, and hope that this will stimulate a deeper engagement with international contemporary art in the Kingdom.”

The ceremony began with a speech by Rakan al-Touq, who said that the biennale was designed to be in line with the context of the qualitative transformations that the Saudi cultural scene is experiencing in light of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reforms.

The theme for the first edition of the Biennale is “Crossing the River by Tracking the Stones,” and includes six sections: “Crossing the River,” “Experimental Conservation,” “Oceanic Thinking,” “Public Appearance,” “A Whole New World,” and “In Concerning The Spirit”.

A number of prominent artistic and cultural figures will participate in the sessions, including: Waela Al-Awar, the chief engineer at Yway Studio; art historians Dr. Maha al-Sanan, Dr. Nada Shabout, Abdul Rahman Al-Sulaiman, HRH Princess Adwa bint Yazid, Hamza Serafi, and Qaswara Hafez.

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