In Interludes and Transitions

Titled In Interludes and Transitions, the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026 unfolds as a choreography in various movements, inspired by the flows, migrations, and transformations that have long connected the Arab region with the world. This guidebook is both companion and score to the Biennale, tracing its unfolding rhythms across sites, performances, conversations, and forms. The Biennale's five movements-A Procession, Disjointed Choreographies, A Hall of Chants, A Collective Observation, and A Forest of Echoes-unfold within the extensive converted warehouses and outdoor spaces of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in the JAX District, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring nearly seventy artists working across generations and geographies.

Reflecting this breadth, the guidebook offers an illustrated record of In Interludes and Transitions, including images of newly commissioned works alongside documentation of key artistic contributions. Conceived as both a tool and an extension of the Biennale experience, the publication invites readers to move through the exhibition's interludes and transitions long after the works themselves have been encountered.

Participating Artists: Pacita Abad, Pio Abad, Rand Abdul Jabbar, Abdullah Miniawy Trio, Etel Adnan, Yussef Agbo-Ola [Olaniyi Studio], Leen Ajlan, Ahaad Alamoudi, Elyas Alavi, Afra Al Dhaheri, Shadia Alem, Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, Mohammed Alhamdan (7amdan), Nouf Al-Harthi, Ramy Alqthami, Abdullah Al Saadi, Ruba Al-Sweel, Lulua Alyahya, Ismaïl Bahri, Taysir Batniji, Dineo Seshee Bopape (Raisibe), Raven Chacon, Ayman Yousry Daydban, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Rohini Devasher, Merve Ertufan, Ivana Franke, Rahima Gambo, Eric Gyamfi, Samia Halaby, Petrit Halilaj, Hazem Harb, Aziz Hazara, Ho Rui An, Alana Hunt, Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, Amaka Jaji, Kayfa ta, Yazan Khalili, Moshekwa Langa, Daniel Lind-Ramos, George Mahashe, Guadalupe Maravilla, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Théo Mercier, Nour Mobarak, Mochu, Nancy Mounir, Hussein Nassereddine, Daniel Otero Torres, Thảo Nguyên Phan, Gala Porras-Kim, Sarker Protick, Abdelkarim Qassem, Raqs Media Collective, K.P. Reji, Faisal Samra, Oscar Santillán, Amina Saoudi Aït Khay, Bogosi Sekhukhuni, Karan Shrestha, Elias Sime, Trương Công Tùng, Rajesh Chaitya Vangad, Wolff Architects, Agustina Woodgate, Müge Yılmaz, Yu Ji