The third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale will feature 67 artists, including Pacita Abad and Etel Adnan. The event will open on January 30th in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, a historic city 20 minutes from the country’s capital, Riyadh.
Titled “In Interludes and Transitions,” the 2026 edition will focus on themes of movement, migration, and transformation. The Biennale will aim to frame these ideas through the historical and contemporary connections linking the Arab region with broader global contexts. The exhibition is led by artistic directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, the curator of Art Jameel in Dubai and the former director of Ishara Art Foundation, respectively.
“This edition of the Biennale takes place at a moment when the role of art feels ever more urgent,” Razian and Ahmed said in a joint statement. “Over the last year, participating artists and our curatorial team have immersed themselves in the nuanced histories of the Arab region, the rapid transformations reshaping it, and the wider philosophical questions that echo across different geographies.… We see the Biennale as an invitation to think rhythmically, to approach time as layered, pulsating, and collectively embodied.”
The exhibition will be staged in the JAX District, an arts area located near At-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was the capital city of the First Saudi State. More than 22 new commissions will be presented; however, exact details have yet to be announced. Exhibition design will be developed by the Italian studio Formafantasma, working in close collaboration with the curatorial team. Milan-based architect Sammy Zarka has also been appointed associate architect and exhibition designer.
Here is the complete list of artists:
