We earlier reported that the Diriyah Biennale Foundation had announced the First Home Islamic Art Biennale to be held at the West Hall of Pilgrims at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah from 23 January to 23 April 2023.
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) highly appreciated Saudi Arabia’s plan to hold the first-of-its-kind Islamic Art Biennale in Jeddah, Bawada News reported.
A statement released by the organization says that the major event will be observed by a global team of experts in various fields of art. It also says that the 70 000-square-foot space will house exhibition halls, theatres, mosques, art workshops and seminar rooms where various cultural events are planned, as well as shops, cafes and restaurants.
The venue for the event was not chosen by chance. The Pilgrims’ Hall at the International Airport was designed by SOM architectural company in 1981, which won the Aga Khan Prize for Architecture in 1983.
Interiors encourage artists to photograph the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. Domestic art exhibitions revolve around the Muslim Qibla, which puts Mecca at its centre, while unique foreign artworks are inspired by the importance of Mecca and the uniqueness of Kaaba as ‘first home’.
This exhibition will showcase various contemporary artworks, the most important of which will be presented in two separate sections containing the antiquities of the Holy Mosque and the Mosque of the Prophet.
On the occasion, Aya Al-Bakri, Director General of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, said: “Biennale of Islamic Art is of great spiritual importance. This is a notable event in the calendar of cultural events in the world”.
It is noteworthy that the Foundation appointed an international team of administrators to oversee the biennial event. They include well known Saudi archaeologist Saad Al-Rashed, Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London Abdul Barber Polis, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Gallery of Asian Art in Washington DC Julian Robbie and Co-Founder of the Counterspace Experimental Architecture and Research Firm Sumaya Valli.
Sumaya Valli noted: “I have an opportunity to be involved in the preparation of this event in a unique and creative atmosphere. The name of the event (“First Home”) is an obvious invitation to reflect on the concept of various manifestations of the city of Mecca. Most of all we are attracted by the opportunity to create an exhibition that will lead us and visitors along a path of creativity and reflection”.
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