What to expect at Islamic Arts Biennale 2025, from meditative gardens to modular prayer spaces

Programme aims to reflect Jeddah's status as a cross-cultural intersection for centuries

The four-month event will launch at King Abdulaziz International Airport in January. Photo: Diriyah Biennale Foundation

Jeddah’s Islamic Arts Biennale will return next year to reflect on the concept of faith in a rapidly changing world.

It will bring together historical artefacts and contemporary artworks to show how the “Islamic faith is a living system, practised and expressed in diverse ways by countless people around the globe", artist Muhannad Shono, curator of contemporary art at the biennale, says.

Organised by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the event will run in Jeddah between January 25 and May 25, taking place at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport. The venue is significant, alluding to Jeddah’s status as a meeting point for Muslim pilgrims every year as they embark on Hajj and Umrah. The city has been a cross-cultural intersection for centuries, and the biennale aims to reflect that within the programme.

The theme, And All That Is In Between, is inspired by a recurring verse in the Quran, which describes the all-encompassing beauty of God’s creations. The verse translates to: “And God created the heavens and the Earth and all that is in between.”

A work by Haroon Gunn-Salie, from South Africa, displayed in the 2023 Islamic Arts Biennale. Hareth Al Bustani / The National

The event is overseen by artistic directors; Julian Raby, an art historian; Amin Jaffer, senior curator of Al Thani Collection; and author and historian Abdul Rahman Azzam.

“I believe that any exhibition should address themes that are comprehensible and relevant to a wide public, with messages and points of inspiration for people of all ages and backgrounds,” Jaffer says. “As a curatorial team, we wished to address subjects of relevance today by juxtaposing historic works of art with the creations of [contemporary] artists.”

Artworks and artefacts will be displayed across five exhibition halls and outdoor spaces in the terminal. With 500 pieces, the subject matter, materials and styles of the works differ widely. However, they all have one thing in common: they all pay tribute to the wonders materialised by the divine.

Furthermore, more than 20 commissioned works by international artists will be revealed during the biennale. These include pieces by Saudi artist Fatma Abdulhadi, Libyan artist Nour Jaouda and Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai.

The seven sections

The biennale is segmented across seven sections, each of which was “conceived to offer visitors an appreciably different experience, engaging different interests and aspects of our being", Jaffer says.

AlBidaya, or the Beginning

The section titled AlBidaya, or the Beginning, will reflect on material representations of faith. It will juxtapose artefacts from Makkah and Madinah with commissioned works.

“The commissioned works explore the expansive, boundless, and intangible dimensions of the theme, through the evocation of the heart,” Shono says. The contemporary works within AlBidaya will be among the 20 by international artists commissioned for the biennale.

The biennale will include historical artefacts as well as commissioned works. Photo: Diriyah Biennale Foundation

AlMadar, or the Orbit

AlMadar, or the Orbit, will have works from several major institutions from around the world. In this section, artefacts are presented to demonstrate how mankind often used numerals as a way of comprehending divine order.

“AlMadar shows how Muslims interacted with numbers both to understand and comprehend God’s order and to embellish and bring harmony and beauty to their daily lives,” Azzam says.

From astrolabes used to calculate celestial navigation to the mapping of the oceans and rivers of the known world, to intricate mathematical and algebraic calculations, the objects within the section “explain how man employed numbers to understand his place in the universe and on Earth", Azzam adds.

AlMadar will then build on this theme to show how artists continued to use numbers to create symmetry and harmony in their works, whether in carpet design, architecture or musical compositions.

“The historical objects in AlMadar are complemented with contemporary interpretations which emphasize the universal and timeless nature of numbers and how they continue to play a vibrant role in Islamic arts and culture,” Azzam says.

AlMuqtani, or Homage

The section dubbed AlMuqtani, or Homage, is a tribute to individual collectors, whose works have become indispensable to the understanding of Islamic art and culture. The section will be predominantly drawn from two collections.

These include that of Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Than, cousin of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad. The collection is known for its focus on jewelled objects and precious materials. Rifaat Sheikh El Ard’s collection, meanwhile, is recognised as being one of the most unique, particularly for its assemblage of metalworks and items from the Islamic civilisation’s chivalric culture.

Several commissioned works by international artists will be displayed under the canopy of the Western Hajj Terminal. Photo: Hareth Al Bustani / The National

AlMathala, or Canopy

The outdoor areas, named AlMathala, or Canopy, will present the commissioned works that reflect upon the design and nurture of gardens in Islamic civilisation. The area is meant to encourage reflection, learning and meditation.

“The artworks address urgent contemporary issues while offering personal moments of discovery and creating shared spaces for gathering,” Shono says. “The garden is both deconstructed and reimagined, with visitors metaphorically becoming the water channels that bring it to life. Together, these works cultivate a collective conversation that bridges the spiritual and the worldly.”

AlMukarramah (Makkah) and AlMunawwarah (Madinah)

The section AlMukarramah and AlMunawwarah will comprise two pavilions dedicated to the locations they are named after.

The pavilions "evoke the sacred atmosphere" of the cities, Jaffer says.

Hajj Terminal

Finally, the winner of AlMusalla Prize will be displayed under the canopy of the Hajj Terminal. The prize is an annual initiative by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and honours the new architecture of Muslim societies.

This year, artists competing for the prize are designing a prayer space, or musalla, that is modular and uses sustainable construction methods. The winning design and structure will be revealed on the opening day of the biennale.