The second Islamic Arts Biennale entitled And All That Is In Between (Wama Bainahuma) is being held in Jeddah at King Abdulaziz International Airport’s Western Hajj Terminal from January 25 to May 15.
Featuring over 500 historical objects and 29 contemporary art commissions—more than double the content of the inaugural edition, this year’s Islamic Arts Biennale is divided into seven components that include indoor and outdoor areas: AlBidayah (“the Beginning”), AlMadar (“the Orbit”), AlMuqtani (“Homage”), AlMidhallah (“the Canopy”), AlMukarramah (“the Honored”), AlMunawwarah (“the Illuminated”), and AlMusalla, a space for prayer and gathering. The Biennale also includes the first-ever public display of the complete Kiswah, the cloth that covers the Holy Kaaba.
Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, the event leadership team includes artistic directors Dr Julian Raby, (a British Islamic expert and former director at the Smithsonian); Dr Amin Jaffer (director of the Al Thani Collection in Paris); Dr Abdul Rahman Azzam (cultural advisor and historian); and Saudi artist Mohannad Shono (contemporary art curator),
This biennale’s theme, And All That Is In Between, draws from the Qur’anic verse “And God created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in between.” This phrase implicitly encompasses all of Allah’s creation. Dr. Julian Raby states that, “The exhibition explores the various ways in which we seek to understand and acknowledge the wonders of divine creation and how man has responded to these, how the most sacred objects in Islam encompass feeling, thinking, making and intellect.”
According to Aya Al- Bakree, CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, “The arts of Islamic civilisation, both contemporary and historic, and those made in or inspired by Islamic communities around the world, have influenced cultural discourse for centuries until today. The Biennale, through its expert curatorial leadership and the participation of world-leading institutions and artists, has become a global platform for cultural exchange and a reference point for new research into the field.”
Saudi Press Agency, Rare Islamic Treasures on Display at Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah
