The Tamesis
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has announced the list of artists participating in the third Diriyah Biennale of Contemporary Art, which will open on January 30 in the JAX district, an industrial area in Diriyah near the capital Riyadh that has been converted into an art center.
With the theme of “Interludes and Transitions”, this biennale will be curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed and will feature more than 65 artists and more than 20 newly commissioned works.
Razian, associate director and head of exhibitions and programs at Art Jameel, and Ahmed, program director at the Ishara Art Foundation, position the exhibition as a movement of history, knowledge, and artistic practice across time and place.
Related articles
The artist roster brings together historical figures, established mid-career artists, and emerging voices in painting, installation, film, sound, architecture, and publishing. They include Pacita Abad, Etel Adnan, Samia Halaby, Raven Chacon, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Petrit Halilaj, Daniel Lind-Ramos, Guadalupe Maravilla, Nour Mobarak, Gala Porras-Kim and Raqs Media Collective.
The news comes amid a surge in cultural and market activity in the Middle East, with global arts institutions expanding their reach. Art Basel will host its first Middle East fair in Doha in February 2026, and Frieze has confirmed plans to launch Frieze Abu Dhabi in November 2026, rebranding the long-running Abu Dhabi art fair. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, is expected to open in 2026 after years of delays. Auction houses are also moving decisively into the region: Sotheby’s held its first international auction in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, in February 2025, while Christie’s continues to operate a long-standing auction house in Dubai while expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia.
The full list of participating artists is below.
Pacita Abad
Pio Abad
Rand Abdul-Jabbar
Abdullah Minawi Trio
Etel Adnan
Yusef Abo-Ola (Olaniyi Studio)
Lin Aguilan
Ahad Alamoudi
Elias Alavi
Afra al-Dahri
Sathya Aleem
Mohamed Al-Gandhi
Mohamed Alhamdan(7amdan)
Nouf Halti
Rami Alksami
Abdullah Saadi
Ruba Al-Sweir
Lulua Aliaya
Ismail Bahri
Tesir Patnage
Dineo Sesi Popape (Raisibe)
Crow Chacon
Ayman Yusri Dadeban
Nolan Oswald Dennis
Rohini Destroyer
Merve Ertufan
Ivana Frank
Rahima Gamble
Eric Jimfi
Samia Halabi
Petri Halilaj
hazemhab
Aziz Hazara
He Ruian
Alana Hunt
Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq
amaka jajji
kefata
Yazan Khalili
Moshekwa Langa
Daniel Lind-Ramos
George Maharash
Guadalupe Maravilla
Yu Ji
Theo Messier
Noor Mobarak
Mochu
Nancy Munir
Hussein Nasser al-Din
Daniel Otero Torres
Phan Thao Nguyen
Gala Porras-King
Sac Protik
Abdulkarim Qasim
Lacks Media Group
KP Reggie
Faisal Samra
Oscar Santillan
Amina Saudi Ait Kay
Bogosi Sekuhuni
Karan Shrestha
Elias Sim
Changgong Building
Rajesh Chatya Vangaard
wolf architects
agustina woodgate
Moog Yilmaz
