From 6 to 9 February 2025, Sharjah Art Foundation will launch the 16th edition of Sharjah Biennial, curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Öz. Convening under the title to carry, a multivocal and open-ended proposition, the Biennial will examine an ever-expanding list of what to carry, and how to carry it, inviting visitors to encounter the different formations and positions of the five curators as well as the constellation of resonances they have gathered.
In conjunction with the Biennial, the Foundation is also delighted to announce details for the annual March Meeting and April Acts, both part of the wider programme of this special edition. The Biennial will also feature a programme of workshops, film screenings, performances and conversations. Full details will be announced in the new year.
Sharjah Biennial 16 Opening Programme
Dates: 6–9 February 2025
Locations: Sharjah City, Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid, Kalba, Al Madam and other locations across the Emirate of Sharjah
The opening events of Sharjah Biennial 16 run from 6 to 9 February 2025. The dynamic four-day programme will take visitors across five cities and towns to view more than 300 works, including 80 commissions, by more than 140 participants. Performances, activations and screenings will take place in each location.
To view the full list of artists and participants, please visit the website.
March Meeting
Dates: 7–9 March 2025
Timings: 10:00 pm–1:00 am (Ramadan hours)
Location: Al Qasimiyah School, Al Manakh, Sharjah
Taking place during Ramadan, the 2025 edition of March Meeting presents three evenings of reflections on the Biennial’s theme, to carry, with a special programme of critical conversations, performances, workshops and communal meals. Selected offerings explore polyphonic modes of storytelling in the present, Indigenous thinking around transformation and live poetry readings. Visitors can also enjoy a daytime programme, including curator- and artist-led tours.
April Acts
Dates: 18–20 April 2025
Locations: Across Sharjah Biennial 16 venues
This year, experience April Acts, a new weekend programme activating different aspects of the Biennial through panel discussions, artist talks, participatory workshops, film screenings and live music performances.
The Biennial experience will extend throughout its four-month run with weekly screenings, a variety of workshops for different age groups, and artist conversations, both on- and offline.
To register and learn more about Sharjah Biennial 16, visit sharjahart.org.
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's 'Arab Capital of Culture' and has been designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
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