The Biennale of Islamic Arts 2023 opened in Saudi Arabia, under the slogan "The First House", and will continue until April 23 at the King Abdulaziz Airport Hall in Jeddah.
The organizers seek to make this event a platform that reflects the experience of pilgrims from around the world by reflecting on the diversity of the Islamic experience.
About 40 artists participate in the Biennale, with a total of approximately 280 artifacts loaned from local and international institutions, with the aim of creating a sensory experience that raises awareness and urges visitors to meditate on the rituals that guide individuals, connect each other, and generate a sense of collective belonging.
This biennial provides unique opportunities for learning, research and reflection on this type of art, in addition to the artistic dialogues it will host.
The Biennale of Islamic Arts displayed in one of its corners the development of prayer rugs throughout history (SPA)
Trip of a lifetime
The Biennale is held on an area of more than 118,000 square meters, in a journey that renews feelings and memories through the four galleries, the orbit exhibition and two pavilions, as the site maintains a special importance represented in being the starting point for the life journey of millions of Muslims from all over the world.
The biennale consists of two parts, one internal and the other external, which present a harmonious dialogue for the visitor, during which he lives a journey rich in various sensory experiences, through the interaction between contemporary artworks and carefully selected historical holdings.
The new "Bennale" website contributes to enriching the role of the pilgrims' hall by celebrating Islamic culture and arts, and making it a tributary to the local art scene in Jeddah and the Kingdom throughout the year. It includes 4 galleries, two pavilions, more than 60 juries, and 15 works that have never been shown before , and 280 pieces of art and history selected by various institutions.
The door of the Holy Kaaba at the Biennale of Islamic Arts (SPA)
different rites
The first exhibition hall is the main one in the exhibition under the name of the Qibla, which was designed with dim lighting, during which a video presentation of the Grand Mosque in Makkah Al-Mukarramah is watched, accompanied by hearing the frequencies of the call to prayer from all over the Islamic world.
This room leads to a number of successive rooms, each of which deals with rituals, such as ablution, prayer, and scenes of preparing the "shroud" to end through a long, dimly lit corridor to the Kaaba room, which is a "white room" whose light shines above the door of the Kaaba.
Models of Islamic architecture at the Biennale of Islamic Arts (SPA)
Contemporary experience
Aya Al-Bakri, CEO of the Diriyah Biennial Foundation, stated that the Biennale of Islamic Arts is of great importance, and will impose its presence strongly as a prominent event on the agenda of artistic events around the world.
Al-Bakri indicated that the Foundation hired an international team of curators to supervise the activities of the "Bennale" of Islamic Arts, which includes prominent Saudi and international archaeologists.
Through the current exhibition in Jeddah, the Diriyah Biennale Foundation is looking forward to working on building bridges between industrial craftsmen, academia, and artistic and creative practices to open new horizons and find new meeting points for inspiration and generating meanings by contemplating the centrality of the Holy Kaaba for Muslims around the world.