Taking place in JAX District, the event will showcase contemporary artists from around the world. 

Art lovers, unite. We have some exciting news. The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 is now open with the title ‘In Interludes and Transitions.’ Now in its third edition, the Biennale is led by Artistic Directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, who have set out a curatorial framework that explores movement, exchange and the cultural rhythms that bind communities across borders.

The Biennale is being held at JAX, the creative district in Diriyah known for its industrial heritage, and will expand across selected venues and outdoor spaces until 2 May. The aim is to immerse visitors in an experience that responds to the district’s urban fabric while celebrating Diriyah’s role in Saudi Arabia’s evolving cultural landscape.

The chosen title takes its cue from a casual phrase that refers to the cycles of encampment and journeys made by nomadic communities in the Arabian Peninsula. By tracing these movements and transformations, the Biennale considers how the Gulf connects with the wider world through routes of travel, trade and storytelling. This lens sets the stage for an exhibition that thinks about culture as something that is carried, shared and reshaped.

The 2026 edition features more than 70 artists and over 20 new commissions. The list includes Pio Abad, Rand Abdul Jabbar, Yussef Agbo-Ola (Olaniyi Studio), Ahaad Alamoudi, Afra Al Dhaheri, Mohammed Alhamdan (7amdan), Ruba Al-Sweel, Taysir Batniji, Raven Chacon, Rohini Devasher, Merve Ertufan, Ivana Franke, Rahima Gambo, Petrit Halilaj, Aziz Hazara, Alana Hunt and Yazan Khalili.

At this year’s edition, expect an experience that unfolds through movement rather than a fixed exhibition path. It invites you to navigate a space shaped by Formafantasma that weaves together past and present. Bringing together artists, musicians, filmmakers, architects, and writers, the Biennale emphasises on ideas of motion and change, with more than 20 commissioned works.

Beyond the exhibition, the Diriyah Biennale comes alive through an expansive public program designed for all ages and interests. You can take part in conversations, performances, film screenings, and hands-on workshops that further engage with the theme. With dedicated activities for children and families, alongside performances, it offers more of a dynamic cultural gathering rather than a mere exhibition.

Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, Artistic Directors of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 said: “Processions have produced relations and forms in this region. The movement of winds and the flow of trade, migration, and exile are carriers of stories, songs, and languages, producing rhythms and poetic meters such as the rajaz. Thinking of the world in procession – a braiding of movements that commemorate and celebrate – allows an understanding of cultural forms through exchange and transmissions; itineraries of travel, intersections, and mutations; and retelling of fragments of exiled stories that have persisted through bodies, materials, rhythms, and cadences.”

The first Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale took place in December 2021. The theme was ‘feeling the stones’ and it brought together more than 70 artists. Established with the support of the Ministry of Culture, it aimed to nurture the local art scene in the Kingdom. Since then, it has become a staple in the cultural calendar and serves as a global platform that fosters dialogue between the country and the rest of the world.

Check in with FACT for the latest details. 

GO: Visit https://biennale.org.sa for more information.