3rd Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale: In Interludes and Transitions
Curated by Sabih Ahmed and Nora Razian
Diriyah Art Foundation, Riyadh
30 January – 23 April 2026

The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026, led by Artistic Directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, announces a preliminary list of participating artists and presents its curatorial framework and title, In Interludes and Transitions. This is the third edition of the Biennale, which takes place at JAX, a creative district with industrial heritage in the historic town of Diriyah, and will open to the public on January 30, 2026.

The title of the Biennale draws from a colloquial phrase invoking the cycles of encampments and journeys in nomadic communities in the Arabian Peninsula, taking as a point of departure the movements, migrations, and transformations that continue to connect the Gulf region with the world—bringing together practices committed to vibrant imaginations of world-making, forged through the social and ecological upheavals that mark the first two decades of this century. The Biennale proposes to rethink the world in intense motion, through processions that entangle humans with planetary, multi-species, spiritual, and technological currents.

With scenography by design studio Formafantasma, the Biennale is conceived as a choreography in which histories, ancestors, dreams, and premonitions move together through song, stories, dance, and whirlwinds. The Biennale presents works by artists, musicians, filmmakers, architects, and writers to amplify continuity and resilience in times of uncertainty. Over 20 new works have been commissioned for the Biennale.

Titled In Interludes and Transitions / “في الحِلّ والترحال”, the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 considers the world as a multitude of processions. The Biennale’s title draws from a colloquial phrase invoking the cycles of encampments and journeys among nomadic communities in the Arabian Peninsula—evoking connection and continuity within a state of constant flux. The Biennale proposes to rethink the world in intense motion, through processions that entangle humans with planetary, multi-species, spiritual, and technological currents.

Located in the historic site of Diriyah, the third edition takes as its point of departure the movements, migrations, and transformations that continue to connect the Arab region with the world—bringing together practices committed to vibrant imaginations of world-making, forged through the social and ecological upheavals that mark the first two decades of this century. Co-Artistic Directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed claim, “Processions have produced relations and forms in this region. The movement of winds and the flow of trade, migration, and exile are carriers of stories, songs, and languages, producing rhythms and poetic meters such as the rajaz (رَجَز). Thinking of the world in procession—a braiding of movements that commemorate and celebrate—allows an understanding of cultural forms through exchange and transmissions; itineraries of travel, intersections, and mutations; and retelling fragments of exiled stories that have persisted through bodies, materials, rhythms, and cadences.”

Harnessing synergies between visual art, music, and poetry—a hallmark of cultural expression in the Arab world and across diverse cultures—the third edition of the Biennale will create arenas that bring together works by artists, musicians, filmmakers, architects, and writers to amplify the resilience of people in times of uncertainty. The Biennale will highlight how art serves as a vital tool for preserving collective memories, asserting the power of the multitude, and fostering hope amidst adversity.