KSA Business: Saudi Arabia’s First Biennale Diriyah ends on successful note – Gulf Digital News

KSA Business: Saudi Arabia’s First Biennale Diriyah ends on successful note – Gulf Digital News

Diriyah Biennale Foundation (DBF) has announced the successful completion of Saudi Arabia’s first contemporary art biennale featuring more than 60 acclaimed artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world, who presented artworks in a wide variety of mediums, including site-specific commissions by leading artists.

The groundbreaking Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale opened on December 11 in the JAX district of the Saudi city of Diriyah. 

The inaugural edition of the Biennale was curated under the leadership of Philip Tinari (Director and Chief Executive of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, China), and supported by a team of international curators; Wejdan Reda (Founder of Sahaba Art Consultancy in Jeddah), Shixuan Luan (Curator at UCCA) and Neil Zhang (Assistant Curator at UCCA). 

The Biennale took its title from the concept of “Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones,” a slogan that emerged during the 1980s as a metaphor for action at a time of social and economic transformation. 

Visitors were invited to experience artworks across six sections: Crossing the River, Experimental Preservation, Peripheral Thinking, Going Public, Brave New Worlds, and Concerning the Spiritual. 

Serving as a platform for global dialogue and exchange, the Biennale cultivated an interactive art experience by bringing together