Diriyah Biennale 2026: In Interludes and Transitions: Curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, JAX District, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The third edition of the Biennale, titled In Interludes and Transitions (في الحِلّ والترحال), brings together works by more than 65 artists from around the world, including over 20 new commissions. Led by Artistic Directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, the Biennale will be staged across JAX, Diriyah’s creative district, as well as other venues and outdoor spaces, with scenography by the acclaimed design studio Formafantasma.

Drawing inspiration from a colloquial Arabic phrase that evokes the cycles of encampment and journey among nomadic communities, the Biennale takes as its starting point the movements, migrations, and transformations that continue to shape the Gulf’s connection to the wider world.

Through sound-based works, visual art, music, and performance, the 2026 edition will explore how stories, languages, and cultural forms travel and transform. The Biennale’s curators describe it as a “choreography” where histories, ancestors, dreams, and premonitions converge in motion—expressed through song, storytelling, and dance.

“The movement of winds and the flow of trade, migration, and exile are carriers of stories, songs, and languages,” said Artistic Directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed. “Thinking of the world in procession allows an understanding of cultural forms through exchange and transmission—retelling fragments of exiled stories that persist through bodies, materials, and rhythms.”

Their works will span media including film, installation, architecture, sound, and performance—reflecting the Biennale’s mission to present a holistic and inclusive view of contemporary art across disciplines and geographies.