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This is when Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 starts

Art lovers, rejoice

If you’ve been looking forward to the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026, here’s all you need to know when it returns next year from Friday January 30, 2026 until Thursday April 23, 2026. 

Taking place in the JAX District in Diriyah, a creative quarter with industrial heritage in the historic town of Diriyah, near Riyadh. The 15-hectare site hosts artists’ studios and exhibition venues.

The 2026 edition is led by an expanded curatorial team featuring artistic directors Nora Razian, deputy director and head of exhibitions and programmes at Art Jameel in Dubai and Jeddah, and Sabih Ahmed, a curator, cultural theorist, and educator serving as projects advisor at the Ishara Art Foundation in Dubai.

They are joined by a team of international curators, consisting of Maan Abu Taleb, May Makki, Kabelo Malatsie, and Lantian Xie. That’s not all though. Milan-based architect Sammy Zarka joins the team as the associate architect and exhibition designer to collaborate closely with the curatorial team.

For its third edition, the Biennale will actually extend into the JAX District, activating newly opened spaces and weaving Biennale events throughout.

Bringing together expertise that spans contemporary art, critical theory, music, architecture, and performance, the team reflects the Biennale’s commitment to introducing new curatorial perspectives and strengthening connections in Saudi Arabia, across the Gulf region, and beyond.

Featuring work by artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world, the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale explores the role of contemporary art in a country that is undergoing rapid social change.

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