Saudi Arabia holds world’s first Islamic arts biennale

Agencies | Riyadh

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

The world’s first Islamic Arts Biennale providing a survey of Islamic arts and culture in the religion’s birthplace, modern-day Saudi Arabia, is being held at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, gathering over 44 Islamic artists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and a large number of rare Islamic artefacts from different parts of the world.

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation is holding this at the Hajji Terminal or Canopy Terminal in Jeddah, the world’s largest cable-stayed fabric-roofed construction, inspired by tent structures.

The open setting with desert and sky transports viewers to the ancient Islamic world.

The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale was held in December 2021, in which over 60 acclaimed international artists participated.

It was held on the outskirts of Riyadh.

The present venue is the Western Hajj Canopy Terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah.

The Terminal designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was awarded the 1983 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

The building was used by pilgrims from all over the world to rest on their way to Mecca.

The 118,000-square-meter space houses five galleries, two pavilions, and one grand canopy, as well as 280 artefacts and more than 50 newly commissioned artworks from around the Muslim world.

Besides exhibition spaces, it has a theatre, a mosque, workshops, classrooms, retail shops, and dining outlets.

The theme for the event is Awwal Bayt, which means ‘first house’ in Arabic.

Awwal Bayt is a Quranic term that is used to signify the importance of the most sacred site, the Kaaba in Mecca, and the direction, the Qiblah, that Muslims all around the world face for their daily obligatory prayers.

It thus connects devout Muslims all over the world.

The exhibition is showcasing Islamic contemporary and historical artefacts, including some authentic artefacts from the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and Masjid-al-Haram.

The curatorial team has scholars connected with the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Museum of Asian Art, and the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC.

The Foundation plans to host a biennale every year, alternating between the Contemporary Art Biennale and the Islamic Arts Biennale.

The event aims to showcase the art and creativity of Islamic culture, from both the past and present.

It is showcasing 280 rare and priceless artefacts and more than 50 newly commissioned artworks from around the Muslim world.

This place is the confluence of millions of Muslims from all over the world going for Haj and as such is an ideal place to hold the exhibition.

The Biennale is organized around two main themes: Qiblah and Hijrah.

The Qiblah is the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, which every Muslim faces in their daily prayers. It unites Muslims in prayer all over the world.

There are also specially commissioned artworks that reflect on the theme of migration and how pilgrimage has coloured the cultural life of the Muslim world.

The exhibition also includes rarely-seen historical artefacts from Mecca and Medina, as well as the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as custodians.

The artefacts come from different parts of the world like Mali, Egypt, Tunisia, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Oman, and Qatar.

The Islamic Arts Biennale will have several programs featuring several activities like excursions, workshops, meet-the-artist sessions, panel discussions, talks, seminars, performances, and film screenings, highlighting the integral role of arts and culture.

The programs on Islamic calligraphy, recipes, will all go to show how the cultural heritage and legacy of the Muslim world influence society today and how the arts of the Islamic world have been affected by other cultures, how the Islamic world interacted, enriched, inspired and was inspired by other world cultures.