The third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale has opened in Riyadh’s JAX District under the title 'In Interludes and Transitions.' Curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, the exhibition features over 65 artists from 35 countries, focusing on themes of migration, oral storytelling, and the movement of ideas across borders. The show is housed in repurposed 1970s industrial warehouses with a scenography designed by Formafantasma that emphasizes intimacy despite the monumental scale of the venues.
This edition is significant for its heavy investment in new productions, featuring more than 25 commissioned works that allow regional and international artists to experiment with scale and medium. Furthermore, the biennale places a strong emphasis on pioneering female artists from the Global South, such as Samia Halaby and Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, positioning Saudi Arabia as a central discursive platform for contemporary art histories and intellectual exchange in the Middle East.