Sharjah Biennial 15 announces 140 artists for Okwui Enwezor-conceived exhibition
The fifteenth Sharjah Biennial will feature 140 artists across venues including a vegetable market, power station, and former nursery school. Titled 'Thinking Historically in the Present,' the exhibition was originally conceived by curator Okwui Enwezor before his 2019 death and is being implemented by Hoor Al Qasimi, director of the Sharjah Foundation. Among the extensive list of participants are John Akomfrah, Coco Fusco, Steve McQueen, Doris Salcedo, and Carrie Mae Weems, who have received commissions for new works. The biennial runs from February 7 to June 11, 2023, throughout the emirate of Sharjah. Other notable artists include Theaster Gates, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Wangechi Mutu, and Yinka Shonibare. The event showcases a diverse global roster with representation from regions including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Venues repurpose everyday spaces into exhibition sites, emphasizing site-specific engagement. The biennial continues Enwezor's legacy of critical historical reflection through contemporary art practices.
Key facts
- The 15th Sharjah Biennial runs from February 7 to June 11, 2023
- 140 artists are participating in the exhibition
- The exhibition was conceived by Okwui Enwezor before his death in 2019
- Hoor Al Qasimi is implementing the exhibition as director of the Sharjah Foundation
- Venues include a vegetable market, power station, and former nursery school
- New commissions have been created by artists including John Akomfrah, Steve McQueen, and Doris Salcedo
- The exhibition title is 'Thinking Historically in the Present'
- Artists represent diverse global regions including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas
Entities
Artists
- Basel Abbas
- Ruanne Abou-Rahme
- Maitha Abdalla
- Fathi Afifi
- Hoda Afshar
- John Akomfrah
- Jawad Al Malhi
- Monira Al Qadiri
- Farah Al Qasimi
- Mounira Al Solh
- Moza Almatrooshi
- Marwah AlMugait
- Hangama Amiri
- Brook Andrew
- Malala Andrialavidrazana
- Rushdi Anwar
- Kader Attia
- Au Sow Yee
- Dana Awartani
- Omar Badsha
- Natalie Ball
- Sammy Baloji
- Mirna Bamieh
- Pablo Bartholomew
- Richard Bartholomew
- Shiraz Bayjoo
- Bahar Behbahani
- Asma Belhamar
- Diedrick Brackens
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Cao Fei
- Carolina Caycedo
- Ali Cherri
- Wook-kyung Choi
- Iftikhar Dadi
- Elizabeth Dadi
- Solmaz Daryani
- Annalee Davis
- Destiny Deacon
- Manthia Diawara
- Imane Djamil
- Anju Dodiya
- Kimathi Donkor
- Heri Dono
- Tania El Khoury
- Nabil El Makhloufi
- Rehab Eldalil
- Ali Eyal
- Brenda Fajardo
- Raheleh Filsoofi
- Nina Fischer
- Maroan el Sani
- Coco Fusco
- Flavia Gandolfo
- Theaster Gates
- Gabriela Golder
- Gabrielle Goliath
- Yulia Grigoryants
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Hassan Hajjaj
- David Hammons
- Archana Hande
- Fathi Hassan
- Mona Hatoum
- Lubaina Himid
- Laura Huertas Millán
- Saodat Ismailova
- Isaac Julien
- Saddam Jumaily
- Robyn Kahukiwa
- Reena Saini Kallat
- Hanni Kamaly
- Amar Kanwar
- Bouchra Khalili
- Naiza Khan
- Kiluanji Kia Henda
- Ayoung Kim
- Emily Kame Kngwarreye
- Hiroji Kubota
- Nusra Latif Qureshi
- Lee Kai Chung
- Ibrahim Mahama
- Waheeda Malullah
- Maharani Mancanagara
- mandla
- Lavanya Mani
- Kerry James Marshall
- Queenie McKenzie
- Steve McQueen
- Marisol Mendez
- Almagul Menlibayeva
- Helina Metaferia
- Kimowan Metchewais
- Meleanna Meyer
- Joiri Minaya
- Tahila Mintz
- Roméo Mivekannin
- Tracey Moffatt
- Aline Motta
- Wangechi Mutu
- Eubena Nampitjin
- Dala Nasser
- Pipo Nguyen-Duy
- Mame-Diarra Niang
- Shelley Niro
- Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi
- Elia Nurvista
- Okwui Okpokwasili
- Kambui Olujimi
- Zohra Opoku
- Erkan Özgen
- Pak Khawateen Painting Club
- Pushpakanthan Pakkiyarajah
- Hyesoo Park
- Philippe Parreno
- Angela Ponce
- Prajakta Potnis
- Anita Pouchard Serra
- Jasbir Puar
- Dima Srouji
- Michael Rakowitz
- Umar Rashid
- Wendy Red Star
- Veronica Ryan
- Doris Salcedo
- Abdulrahim Salem
- Sangeeta Sandrasegar
- Varunika Saraf
- Khadija Saye
- Berni Searle
- Mithu Sen
- Nelly Sethna
- Aziza Shadenova
- Smita Sharma
- Nilima Sheikh
- Yinka Shonibare
- Felix Shumba
- Semsar Siahaan
- Mary Sibande
- Kahurangiariki Smith
- Inuuteq Storch
- Vivan Sundaram
- Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum
- Obaid Suroor
- The Living and the Dead Ensemble
- Hank Willis Thomas
- Akeim Toussaint Buck
- Fatimah Tuggar
- Hajra Waheed
- Barbara Walker
- Wang Jianwei
- Nari Ward
- Carrie Mae Weems
- Nil Yalter
- Okwui Enwezor
- Hoor Al Qasimi
Institutions
- Sharjah Biennial
- Sharjah Foundation
Locations
- Sharjah
- United Arab Emirates