ArtDayME: The Sharjah Biennial will be taking place across the Emirates under the theme To Carry. The large-scale contemporary art exhibition delves into what people treasure most, how they approach new environments and what cultural traditions anchor them when adapting.

According to The National, “Sharjah Biennial 16 offers a space for imagining new collective futures while recognising the weight of shared histories and experiences,” Sharjah Art Foundation president Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi explained.

Audiences will have the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking dialogues, bridging local contexts with global narratives focusing on “identity, movement, change and collectivity,” Sheikha Hoor expanded.

While the full programme will be released closer to the opening date, Sharjah Biennial 16 will feature works by more than 140 participants, including over 80 new commissions. These include works by Emirati multidisciplinary artist Hashel Al Lamki, renowned Lebanese filmmaker, photographer and archival artist Akram Zaatari and Kuwaiti visual artist Monira Al Qadiri.

Opening in February 2025, Sharjah Biennial 16 will be curated by: Natasha Ginwala (Artistic Director, COLOMBOSCOPE, Colombo); Amal Khalaf (Director, Cubitt, London and Curator at Large, Public Practice, Serpentine Galleries, London); Zeynep Öz (independent curator, Istanbul and New York); Alia Swastika (Director of the Biennale Jogja Foundation, Yogyakarta); and Megan Tamati-Quennell (curator of modern and contemporary Māori and Indigenous art, New Zealand). 

Sharjah Biennial 16 runs from 6 Febuary to 15 June 2025.