An exhibition of contemporary art, the Sharjah Biennial, is a dream come true for any art enthusiast. As the name suggests, the large-scale art and cultural festival occurs once every two years. The biennial is open to the public. Every year the Sharjah Art Foundation decides a theme for the Biennial.
Sharjah Biennial 2023
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The theme for 2023’s biennial is Thinking Historically in the Present, reflecting Enwezor’s visionary work. The 2019 biennial is curated by Hoor Al Qasimis. The biennial is generally held between the months of March and June. The latest biennial, in 2019, was held between 7th March and 10th June. Artists such as Otobong Nkanga, Qiu Zhijie and Mohamed Bourouissa presented their works here.
Sharjah Biennial 2023 - Dates and Venue
Sharjah Biennial 2023 Dates: 7th February to 11 June 2023 Sharjah Biennial Venue: Sharjah Art Foundation Art Spaces, the Sharjah Art Museum, and the nearby traditional buildings and courtyards of the Arts and Heritage areas. Apart from Sharjah the exhibitions also take place in Kalba, a city in the Emirate of Sharjah.
For Sharjah Venues: 9:00 am–9:00 pm, Saturday to Thursday 4:00 pm–11:00 pm on Friday
For Kalba Venues: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday to Thursday 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Friday
Artists at the Sharjah Biennial 2023
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The 2023 Sharjah Biennial has been divided into three subparts, each curated by one of three co-curators of the exhibitions.
The section curated by Hoor Al Qasimi has works from,
-Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme -Maitha Abdalla -Fathi Afifi -Hoda Afshar -John Akomfrah -Moza Almatrooshi -Marwah AlMugaitAnnie Dorsen
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Ranging from film programs to art education, Sharjah Biennial brings its audience a variety of free courses to choose from. In 2023 the Sharjah Art Foundation conducted,
- Education and Community Outreach Programme - Film Programme - Art Education Programme
There have been courses in Education and Public Programme and a lecture series with artists in the past years.
History of the Sharjah Biennial
The Biennial started in 1993 and was initially organized by the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information. Initially, the Biennial focused on promoting traditional and regional arts and practices, and only one artist was allowed from each participating country. But the organization of this international event was taken over by the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2009. Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, has played a pivotal role in creating the present image of the Sharjah biennial. The Biennial is now more involved in representing individual artists and their vision. In 1993 the biennial, which started as a commercially oriented exhibition, has now developed into various workshops and performances.
