Inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale draws over half a million visitors in Jeddah
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation's inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale, held at the Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, closed on 23 May 2023 after a one-month extension due to overwhelming demand. The exhibition, themed 'Awwal Bait' ('First House'), attracted over 500,000 visitors, including artists, academics, state leaders, and pilgrims. It featured over 500 historical objects on loan from institutions worldwide, some exhibited for the first time, alongside contemporary commissions. The biennale hosted 548 programs and events, including workshops and talks, and welcomed 16,000 students from 359 schools. CEO Aya Al-Bakree reflected on the challenges of sparking new perspectives on Islamic arts globally, noting the exhibition's success in fostering cultural exchange. The foundation now looks ahead to the second edition of its Contemporary Art Biennale.
Key facts
- Inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale held at Hajj Terminal, King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah
- Exhibition ran from 22 January to 23 May 2023, extended by 30 days
- Over 500,000 visitors attended
- 548 programs and events were held
- 16,000 students from 359 schools participated
- Over 500 historical objects were loaned from institutions worldwide
- Theme: 'Awwal Bait' ('First House')
- CEO Aya Al-Bakree led the foundation
Entities
Artists
- Aya Al-Bakree
- HH Prince Bader Bin Abdullah Al Saud
- HE Rakan Al Touq
- Sheikh Nasser
- Julian Raby
- Amin Jaffer
- Abdul Rahman Azzam
- Muhannad Shono
- Nour Jaouda
- Charwei Tsai
- Fatma Abdulhadi
- Abdelrahman Elshahed
- Sarah Al Abdali
- Sarah Brahim
- Sultan bin Fahad
- Ayman Zedani
- Basmah Felemban
- Abdulrahman Gazzaz
- Turki Gazzaz
- Leen Ajlan
- Nojoud Alsudairi
- Sara Alissa
- Adel Al-Quraishi
- Moath Alofi
- Reem Al Faisal
- Basmah Kaki
- Hessa Al Bader
- Hussam Dakkak
- Nasser Al Salem
- Sumayya Vally
- Dr Saad Alrashid
- Dr Omniya Abdel Barr
- Dr Julian Raby
- Ahmad Angawi
- Saeed Gebaan
- Louis Guillaume
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Himali Singh Soin
- David Soin Tappeser
- Tamara Kalo
- Asif Khan
- Takashi Kuribayashi
- Ahmed Mater
- Mehdi Moutashar
- Timo Nasseri
- Hayat Osama
- Nohemi Pérez
- Imran Qureshi
- Arcangelo Sassolino
- Prince Badr
Institutions
- Diriyah Biennale Foundation
- General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques
- Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport
- Louvre Museum
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research
- Museum of Islamic Art (Doha)
- Manuscript Institution of Türkiye
- King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra)
- King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries
- King Fahad National Library
- Al Thani Collection
- Barakat Trust
- Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation
- National Museum of Asian Art
- Smithsonian Institution
- Counterspace
- UCL
- Bricklab Studios
- DAL (Digital Arts Lab)
- Syn Architects
- Studio Bound
- The Al Thani Collection
- The David Collection
- Museum of Islamic Art
- 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
- National Museum – Sultanate of Oman
- Khalidi Library
- Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
- Maritime Museum
- Qatar National Library
- King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
- Trust for the Alhambra and Generalife
- Alhambra Museum
- Institute of Valencia de Don Juan
- National Archaeological Museum
- National Heritage Institute
- King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts
- Bodleian Libraries
- History of Science Museum, University of Oxford
- Hispanic Society Museum and Library
- Abu Rayhan Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies
- Muslim Board of Uzbekistan
- Art and Culture Development Foundation Uzbekistan
- Vatican Apostolic Library
- Islamic Arts Biennale
- University of Oxford
- AlMadar
- AlMusalla Prize
Locations
- Jeddah
- Saudi Arabia
- King Abdulaziz International Airport
- Hajj Terminal
- Makkah
- Al Madar
- Paris
- London
- Timbuktu
- Doha
- Istanbul
- Dhahran
- Madinah
- Riyadh
- Tunis
- Tashkent
- Yogyakarta
- Western Hajj Terminal
- Makkah Al-Mukarramah
- Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
- Washington DC
- Indonesia
- West Nusa Tenggara
- Oman
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Spain
- Valencia
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- Oxford
- United States
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican City
- Mecca
- Medina