المملكة: Titled "In the solution and travel".. Opening of the Diriyah Biennale for Contemporary Art 2026

The activities of the third session of the Diriyah Biennale for Contemporary Art, organized by Diriyah Biennale Foundation under the title "In the solution and travel"Movements and migrations and the transformations that formed bridges that linked the Arabian Peninsula with the rest of the world across various eras, and their intersections in collective memory, history, vocabulary, songs, stories, and rhythms.

Diverse artistic participation

This session witnesses the broad participation of 68 artists representing more than 37 countries, and more than 25 new artistic works produced by special commission from the Diriyah Biennale Foundation are displayed.
The Biennale features a unique scenography created by the Italian design studio Forma Fantasma, which recreates Visualizing industrial architecture in the Jax neighborhood through visual interventions based on the elements of color and form.
The design creates curved paths and overlapping levels that guide visitors on a continuous visual journey, covering an area of ​​approximately 12,900 square meters, including indoor galleries and outdoor spaces.

This course highlights the musical dimension as a means of understanding the role of oral and audio heritage in transmitting social history in the Arab region and beyond, and this is evident in the performance work "Folding tents" (2026), produced by Saudi artist Mohammed Al-Hamdan (Hamdan) on special commission, in which a convoy of cars passes "The shas" Wadi Hanifa and Jax, and concludes with a musical performance by a band "Abdullah Minyawi trio"
In this show, the artist explores the concept of the caravan and its transformations, and the creative aspects inherent in this ancient phenomenon, in the era that is witnessing the transformations of the mechanical and digital revolution, and links the rituals of the past with today’s practices.

Enhancing the artistic and creative movement

On this occasion, Ms. Aya Al-Bakri, CEO of the Diriyah Biennial Foundation, expressed her happiness at receiving visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom at the Diriyah Biennial of Contemporary Art, stressing that "The 2026 session represents the fifth biennale organized by the Foundation since its founding five years ago, and documents a remarkable diversity in artistic giving in various regions and specializations and from all over the world. It reflects an accelerating global artistic movement and a growth in the centers of thought and creativity that have a prominent presence. It expressed the Foundation’s pride in continuing its role in providing international platforms for artists, promoting cultural exchange, and investing in society, pointing out that holding the biennial in the Jax neighborhood in Diriyah reflects the role of The Foundation is an organization and incubator of creativity in the Kingdom and the world.

For their part, the artistic directors of the Diriyah Biennial of Contemporary Art 2026, Noura Razian and Sabih Ahmed, explained that the Biennial "In the solution and travel" It invites the audience to engage in an artistic experience, and to interact with the works and ideas presented that deal with a world characterized by movement and constant change, and conjure a vision of a world formed through travel, not stability, and not individually, but through intersecting paths of roads, rhythms, and relationships.

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