There were discussions about Saudi Arabia's first contemporary art biennial happening in tandem with a China-Saudi cultural year, so I was told by artist and prince Sultan bin Fahad bin Nasser. Hence the selection of Philip Tinari as artistic director.

While Covid-19 scuppered these plans, a soft power logic infuses the Diriyah Biennale (11 December 2021–11 March 2022), staged across six renovated warehouses in the JAX district of Diriyah, on the edge of Riyadh, where the UNESCO world heritage site At-Turaif constitutes the birthplace of the first Saudi state.

Curated by UCCA's Philip Tinari, the biennial features a strong contingent of Chinese artists including Xu Bing, Zhang Peili, and Nabuqi.

 Simon Denny, Sarah Morris, and Lawrence Lek are among the international artists who will show at the biennale from 11 December 2021 till 11 March 2022. It will take place in Diriyah's JAX district, which comprises over 100 refurbished warehouses not far from Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh.

Of the event's 63 artists, 26 come from Saudi Arabia, including Maha Malluh, Manal AlDowayan, Ahmed Mater, and Sarah Abu Abdallah.

Sarah Abu Abdallah: For the First Time in a Long Time
August 10–October 20, 2019 

Summer Party: August 9, 7pm, Food, Drinks and Music 
Artist Talk: August 10, 4–5pm, Sarah Abu Abdallah in conversation with Tobias Peper 
Artist Talk: August 24, 3–4pm, Peaches in conversation with Bettina Steinbrügge 

Kunstverein in Hamburg 
Klosterwall 23 
20095 Hamburg
Germany 
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 12–6pm 

hamburg@kunstverein.de 

www.kunstverein.de 
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The Kunstverein in Hamburg is delighted to present the solo exhibition Whose Jizz Is This? by Peaches and the solo exhibition For the First Time in a Long Time by Sarah Abu Abdallah. We cordially invite you to our opening on August 9, 7pm.

An exhibition entitled “And Along Came Polyester” is opening at Athr art platform, based at Serafi Mega Mall’s office towers, featuring five solo presentations by female artists from the Gulf.

The exhibition, alongside two others opening on the same day, is part of the 21,39 Jeddah Arts non-profit initiative organized by the Saudi Art Council.

“This is the first time to host five women from the (Gulf) region to present at Athr,” Leila Evangelista, one of the organizers at Athr, told Arab News.

“The story behind the title of the exhibition is that polyester is a material derivative from oil. Oil has been the main source of economic strength in the area from which the artists come.”

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1047421/saudi-arabia#