Explore thought provoking artworks at Sharjah Biennial 16
Sponsored: Don't miss this fascinating journey of art across Sharjah…
Explore a stunning showcase of art and culture that will feature an impressive array of over 650 works by almost 190 artists from around the world, over 200 new commissions. From February 6 until June 15, and planned across 17 venues in the emirate, this year's edition of the Sharjah Biennial will bring art to life at a series of new and innovative locations, transforming the city and its surrounding towns into an immersive cultural experience for both residents and visitors.
The biennial is curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala, and Zeynep Öz, under the title 'to carry'. The exhibition encourages you to think about how you move through life and shape the world around you, while taking a deeper look into how cultural traditions and personal stories are passed along, even when people transcend borders. The display also focuses on what people carry with them as they go through various life experiences and will invite viewers to explore how art connects to shared experiences like migration, displacement, and resilience.
The Sharjah Biennial's works will be presented to the public in this exciting cultural showcase, alongside a dynamic programme of performances, music, and film productions across historical and contemporary venues in Sharjah City, Al Dhaid, Kalba, Al Madam, and Al Hamriyah, to name just a few. Iconic sites in the emirates such as Al Mureijah, Arts Square, and The Flying Saucer will host major installations, while emerging space such as Al Madam's buried village and Kalba Ice Factory will serve as a platform for unexpected venues, deepening the Biennial's connection to the region's history and cultural identity.
The Biennial is all set to welcome visitors from February 6 to June 15. Throughout the Biennial, there will also be a range of exciting programmes including evening talks at March Meeting in Al Qasimiyah School from March 7 to 9 (10pm to 1am), and April Acts, a new weekend programme activating different aspects of the Biennial from April 18 to 20.
Sharjah Biennial, Saturday to Thursday, 9am to 9pm, Fridays 4pm to 9pm, various locations, Sharjah, UAE. sharjahart.org
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Sharjah 24
14-05-2025
- Sharjah 24
Now streaming: Biennial Bytes season two
Biennial Bytes 2 kicks off with a conversation between the five curators of SB16—Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Öz. Moderated by Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, the episode explores the synergies between curators' individual projects, the diverse formats in which audiences can experience the art at SB16, and how a Biennial can be a space of encounter and collective processing. Subsequent episodes spotlight specific works and projects presented at SB16 through conversations between individual curators and various participating artists, including Bint Mbareh, an artist and sound researcher working around songs of resistance in relation to land and water sovereignty in Palestine, and Joe Namy who sheds light on his collaborative approach to creating sound installations and performances. Yhonnie Scarce speaks about the historical context of nuclear testing on Aboriginal lands in Australia, and Tabu Osusa, founder of Singing Wells, dives into the group's decolonial mission to platform and preserve East African music, while Citra Sasmita talks about her collaboration with Kamasan maestra Mangku Muriati. Tune in to the podcast to listen to personal anecdotes and the stories behind their artworks. Other SB16 artists featured in the podcast are: Stephanie Comilang, Hellen Ascoli, Ana Iti, Naeem Mohaiemen, Pratchaya Phinthong, Adelita Husni-Bey, Mahmoud Khaled and Kapulani Landgraf. Convening under the title to carry, a multivocal and open-ended proposition, SB16 presents over 650 works by nearly 200 participants, including more than 200 new commissions. Exploring the ever-expanding questions of what to carry and how to carry it, SB16 is an invitation to encounter the different formations and positions of the five curators, as well as the resonances they have gathered. The Biennial runs until 15 June 2025 across several venues in Sharjah City, Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid, Kalba and other locations in the Emirate of Sharjah. New episodes are released every Monday on Apple, Spotify, Anghami, Google and other podcast platforms.
The National
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- The National
Inside Zadie Xa's Turner-nominated work at the Sharjah Biennial
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The National
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- The National
Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Masterpieces at Christie's and a Turner-nominated work in Sharjah
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