Theme: What remains, sits restive. Curator: Angela Harutyunyan and Paula Nascimento

Sharjah Biennial

The Sharjah Biennial is a large-scale contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The first Sharjah Biennial took place in 1993, and was organized by the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information until it is reorientation in 2003 by Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi. Source: Wikipedia

Founded in 1993 by H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Sharjah Biennial was a regional showcase with national pavilions for its first five editions. In 2003, at age 22, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi became director and abolished the national-pavilion model, redirecting the biennial toward thematic, commissioning-led practice. The 2009 founding of the Sharjah Art Foundation gave it the year-round infrastructure that distinguishes it from event-based biennials, and editions since 13 (“Tamawuj,” 2017) have repeatedly extended its reach beyond the emirate.