Sharjah Biennial 15 (SB15): Thinking Historically in the Present closed on 11 June 2023 after its popular and well-attended four-month run. This landmark 30th-anniversary Biennial exhibition and its public programmes took place in over 20 venues and public squares across the emirate of Sharjah, offering unprecedented opportunities for visitors and residents to engage with contemporary art, free of charge.
SB15 presented more than 300 major installations and artworks by the participating 150+ artists and collectives. These works included over 30 new commissions as well as existing works which were often reconceived in new and site-specific configurations. The Biennial’s public programmes ranged from the annual March Meeting, films, concerts, performances to a robust schedule of learning opportunities for all ages.
A more comprehensive article on SB15 and its legacy will be online soon.
While the exhibition has closed, there are still many ways to engage with the artists, artworks and ideas explored in Sharjah Biennial 15:
Visit the SB15 Microsite
Documentation on all artists, projects and programmes is available here.
Listen to the Biennial Bytes Podcast
All twelve episodes are now available for streaming on your favourite podcast platform, including Apple, Spotify and Google. The podcast features Biennial artists Nari Ward, Mary Sibande, Hassan Hajjaj, John Akomfrah, Joiri Minaya, Yinka Shonibare, Kambui Olujimi, Archana Hande, Annalee Davis, Mithu Sen, Abdulraheem Salem and Amar Kanwar, in conversation with Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation and curator of the Biennial.
Listen now.
Watch March Meeting 2023 sessions
You can watch the 2023, 2022 and 2021 editions, all of which probe the themes of this year’s Biennial: Thinking Historically in the Present.
Watch now.
SB15 was organised by Sharjah Art Foundation and curated by Foundation Director Hoor Al Qasimi.
Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present was made possible through the generosity and commitment of our sponsors, partners and patrons.
Hajra Waheed, Hum II (2023), Multichannel Sound Installation, 30m 51s. Installation detail from Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present (7 February - 11 June 2023). Copyright: Courtesy of the Artist Photo: Ismail Noor
Doris Salcedo, Uprooted, 2020–2022. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation with the generous support of Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. Installation view: Sharjah Biennial 15, Kalba Ice Factory, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Juan Castro
Brook Andrews, burbang-buwanha winha-nga-nha (Returned Ceremony of Memory), 2023. Funded by Creative Victoria, Melbourne, and Sharjah Art Foundation; supported by the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. Performance view: Sharjah Biennial 15, Bait Hassan Abdallah, Al Mureijah Square, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Shafeek Nalakath Kareem
Lubaina Himid, Dream Boats, 2022. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Installation view: Sharjah Biennial 15, Sharjah City, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Shanavas Jamaluddin
John Akomfrah, Arcadia, 2023. Commissioned by The Box Plymouth, UK; co-commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation and Hartwig Art Foundation, Amsterdam, with the generous support of Polygreen Culture and Art Initiative (PCAI), Piraeus, Greece. Installation view: Sharjah Biennial 15, Al Mureijah Art Spaces, Sharjah, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Motaz Mawid
Marwah AlMugait, My Land My Memory, 2023. Produced by Sharjah Art Foundation and Diriyah Biennale Foundation, Riyadh. Performance view: Sharjah Biennial 15, Calligraphy Square, Sharjah, 2023. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Motaz Mawid