ArtDayME: The popular Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah is back officially coming back.

Starting in January 2025, the Jeddah Islamic Arts Biennale exhibition will open its doors in the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah.

The exhibition will continue its legacy from its first edition back in 2023, building on the first theme “Awwal Bait”.

Islamic Arts Biennale Jeddah

Dedicated to the arts of Islamic civilization from the past and present, the Islamic Arts Biennale Jeddah will showcase a wide variety of works, which will include contemporary works of art, historical artifacts and new commissions.

The exhibition will be lead and curated by an international team consisting of big names in the industry such Julian Raby, Amin Jaffer, Abdul Rahman Azzam and Muhannad Shono.

The biennale will focus on architecture as a form of expression in Islamic culture, recognising it through a competition. (Credit: Diriyah Biennale Foundation / Marco Cappelletti)

The exhibition will also see the return of AlMadar (meaning the orbit in Arabic), a forum for significant Islamic art institutions to contribute and collaborate on a themed exhibition revolving around the richness and diversity of Islamic culture. These works will receive a dedicated gallery titled “Homage” to celebrate the collections, with two pavilions being dedicated to show the history of the two holy cities of Makkah and Al Madinah.

Arts exhibition dates

The biennale will start in January 2025 and will last until May 2025, the specific days have yet to be announced.

Biennale location

The Western Hajj Terminal holds a significant role in Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. (Credit: Jay Longlois)

The exhibition will be located in Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Western Hajj Terminal, an ideal spot for the Islamic exhibition as it’s a key location for Muslims around a world, playing the part of a crucial gateway to the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages to Makkah.

Other Islamic Arts Biennale Jeddah details

The first edition of the exhibition attracted over 600 thousand visitors back in 2023. The Islamic Arts Biennal Jeddah 2025 will build on its success and continue to explore the theme of “Awwal Bait”. This will be done through displays of historical artifacts mixed in with contemporary art and site installations.

You’ll be able to go on a journey through Islamic rituals, ideas, objects and aesthetics in a total area of 110,000 square metres, 12,000 square metres being a dedicated exhibition space.

The exhibition will take over a total area of 110,000 square metres of the terminal. (Credit: Diriyah Biennale Foundation / Marco Cappelletti)

Finally, in honour of the return of the exhibition in the iconic airport venue, Diriyah Biennale foundation will host a prize titled AlMusalla Prize for the inaugural event, aiming for architects from all around the world to design a small mosque, in which the winner will be built on the biennale site, with the aim for it to be sustainable, versatile and modular in design.