Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Names Artistic Directors for Third Edition
By Effy Cao
Portraits of Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 curators (left to right): NORA RAZIAN and SABIH AHMED. Photo by Daniella Bapista and Jalal Abuthina. Courtesy the Diriyah Biennale Foundation.
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has appointed Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed as artistic directors for its third edition, set to take place from January to April, 2026, at the Jax District arts complex in Diriyah.
Razian is deputy director and head of programs and exhibitions at Art Jameel in Dubai and Jeddah. She has also led major curatorial projects at institutions including the Tate Modern and Tate Britain in London, and Sursock Museum in Beirut. Ahmed, a curator and cultural theorist, serves as projects advisor at Dubai’s Ishara Art Foundation, where he was director from 2020–25.
In a statement, Razian and Ahmed said that the 2026 edition will explore how art emerges from conditions of vulnerability and resilience, focusing on artistic practices, archives, and participatory projects that bridge historical legacies with future possibilities.
Effy Cao is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.
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