Our Specialists Make Their Top Picks from the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale

T he third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, In Interludes and Transitions, organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation opened in January 2026 with the mission to display a world in flux. Inspired by the nomadism that has shaped the region and its history, the event’s programming—which runs until 2 May—brings together painters, ceramicists, sculptors, musicians, filmmakers, architects, and writers in the spirit of forward motion. Focusing on regional viewpoints, the Biennale features more than 100 artworks by 68 artists from nearly 40 countries, all housed across multiple warehouses in Saudi Arabia’s creative JAX District. To help identify the highlights, our specialists have shared the artworks, tapestries, ceramics, video pieces and more that have caught their expert eyes.

In the context of the Biennale’s theme around movement, migration and exile which carry the stories of the individuals involved, I loved the exploration of Palestinian American artist Samia Halaby’s oeuvres. Being able to experience her early abstract coded paintings done on the computer, which in the 1980s were already very radical, and her incredibly methodical geometric paintings like Water which, when seen from afar evoke a sense of space and movement, was very special. 

My background is in Islamic art history, so I have often found myself drawn to materials other than paint, notably textiles. Historically, due to their transportability, textiles were both signifiers of wealth and used for shelter. The tapestries of Morocco-based, Tunisian artist Amina Saoudi Aït Khay are made with natural dyes produced by the artist herself, and woven in a way that she describes as organic. They both carry forward amazing tradition and make for vibrant contemporary works. Here you can see my favorite, titled Marrakech. 

A very contemporary work which captures the idea of movement and working towards something, both explicitly and metaphysically, is the video titled The Run, presented by Saudi Arabia’s Ahaad Alamoudi. The artist projects herself running at the centre of a video which was created during her time at The NEOM Artist Residency in the northwest part of the Kingdom. This gives both a sense of scale of the projects happening around Saudi Arabia while superimposing one’s personal journey upon the development happening around them.

I have recently been reading a brilliant book on ancient Mesopotamia by Saudi author Dr. Moudhy Al‑Rashed, called called Between Two Rivers. It has really deepened my curiosity around ancient Mesopotamia, so it was only natural that Iraqi-Canadian multidisciplinary artist Rand Abdul Jabbar’s A Tale Before the Deluge particularly resonated. Through charcoal and clay drawings stretched over traditional mud-brick molds, Abdul Jabbar creates a poetic link between the earliest forms of human mark-making and contemporary questions of memory and heritage. The work reflects the cyclical nature of history, suggesting that even as civilizations rise and fall, stories endure through the materials and myths.

The sheer scale of Etel Adnan’s Untitled ceramic panel immediately drew me in because it’s bold yet meditative. A pioneering Lebanese poet and painter, Adnan’s practice is defined by her use of color and a plurality of techniques and materials. We actually had a beautiful ceramic work in our inaugural Saudi auction Origins in 2025 as well. I have always been drawn to Adnan’s choice of hues and the simplicity and calmness her works evoke.
 

Transformation – Jinniyat Lar, by Saudi Arabia’s Shadia Alem, really sparks curiosity. The work presents a series of fictional characters inspired by the ancient history of the Arabian Peninsula. Revisiting drawings originally created in 1996 alongside newly produced works, the series moves between past and present, weaving together regional histories with broader cultural and geographical narratives. Each work is so detailed and intricate in a way that really pulls you in—visually and narratively.

This work by Indian artist Rajesh Chaitya Vangad was one of the first I encountered upon entering the Biennale, and I was immediately drawn to the rhythmic movement across its surface. Vangad works in the traditional Warli style of painting, a form of tribal art originating in Maharashtra. The composition feels both historic and contemporary at once: prehistoric symbols and gestures distill natural forms into a simple geometric language, creating a visual rhythm that resonates universally.

The confounding surface of Elias Sime’s work immediately invites close looking. The composition shifts dramatically depending on the viewer’s distance. From afar, vibrant greens and purples move together in a lyrical abstract field; up close, the surface reveals itself as a meticulous weave of electrical wires assembled by the artist. For Sime, a contemporary artist from Ethiopia, these materials evoke the fragility of an intricately interconnected world, shaped by the tensions between tradition and change, direct human exchange and digital networks, the natural environment and constructed systems, and lived reality and the virtual realm. In a moment where technology and artificial intelligence are increasingly shaping our day-to-day interactions with one another, this work takes on even more significance.

I first encountered the work of Filipina-American artist Pacita Abad at MoMA PS1 in New York in 2024. Her use of textiles and the dynamic textures they bring to her compositions is so compelling. Learning that her work included in the Biennale was created in response to her training in Korean ink painting was particularly illuminating. I love the vibrant chromatic red of To Paint in Ecstasy from 1987. Seen through this lens, the work reads as a translation of that traditional technique into Abad’s distinctive visual language.

All photography courtesy of Diriyah Biennale Foundation.