Sharjah Biennial 16 Explores Historical Continuity Through 650+ Works
The Sharjah Biennial 16, titled 'to carry', is displaying more than 650 pieces of art until June 15, focusing on themes of historical continuity and global interactions. Noteworthy works include Kegham Djeghalian Jr's 'Photo Kegham of Gaza: Unboxing – To Weave Unmade Histories', which aims to preserve Gaza's visual narrative, and Mila Turajlić's ongoing project 'Voices from the Debris' (2023), which revisits liberation newsreels from the 1960s and 70s. New commissions include Cécile B Evans's films 'RECEPTION!' (2024) and 'MEMORY!' (2025), Mariam M Alnoaimi's 'The Water That Asked for a Fish–The Red Book' (2025), and works by Suzanne Lacy from 1977 and 2015-17. Curated by Natasha Ginwala and others, the event also features artists like Noémie Goudal, Ayman Zedani, and Wael Shawky, addressing issues of memory, ecological harm, and social movements.
Key facts
- Sharjah Biennial 16 runs until June 15
- Features over 650 artworks
- Theme is 'to carry'
- Includes archival project preserving Gaza's visual history from 1950s
- New commissions by Cécile B Evans explore data loss
- Suzanne Lacy's work involves 500 participants in musical performance
- Curated by five curators: Natasha Ginwala, Amal Khalaf, Zeynep Öz, Alia Swastika, Megan Tamati-Quennell
- Exhibition addresses historical continuity and global dynamics
Entities
Artists
- Joshua Segun-Lean
- Kegham Djeghalian Jr
- Kegham Djeghalian Sr
- Mila Turajlić
- Cécile B Evans
- Mariam M Alnoaimi
- Suzanne Lacy
- Noémie Goudal
- Ayman Zedani
- Wael Shawky
- Natasha Ginwala
- Amal Khalaf
- Zeynep Öz
- Alia Swastika
- Megan Tamati-Quennell
Institutions
- Sharjah Biennial
- Frieze
- Sharjah Art Museum
- The Voice of Domestic Workers
- Womanifesto
- Canvas
Locations
- Sharjah
- United Arab Emirates
- Gaza
- Bahrain
- England
- Global South