Jeddah and the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale
In March 2023, I was fortunate to be invited by my friend, film director Ovidio Salazar, to attend the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ovidio had made a film about the Prophet’s journey from Mecca to Medina (the Hirjah) and the premiere was at the Biennale.
It was my first trip to Saudi Arabia. Ovidio had been many times for work and on pilgrimage. He, and many others I spoke to, were astonished at how much Saudi Arabia had changed over the last few years remarking in particular at how women, conspicuously absent from so much of social and economic life in the past, were so much more visible now. There were female border guards, airport employees, drivers etc. Some wore head coverings but many didn’t
The Islamic Arts Biennale took place at the Western Hajj Terminal, built to accommodate the millions of pilgrims who visit for Hajj every year. Designed by US architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the project won a 1983 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
The biennale was large in scale and beautifully presented. Contemporary art inspired by Islam comprised the majority of pieces on display.
A number of historical items were also presented including Qur’ans, ceramics, kisawas (the fabric that covers the Kaaba) and other religious-cultural items related to Islam. The artworks and artefacts on display were Islamic and religious in nature.
Whilst in Jeddah, our group also visited several art galleries around the city which you can see further down this page.
Art galleries, Jeddah
Time in Jeddah was also spent visiting Al-Balad, the city’s historic centre, and a number of private art galleries including The House of Islamic Arts and Wasl Art Space. The scale and quality of the restoration of Al-Balad was noteworthy as were the large number of tourists many of whom were visiting from the cruise ships which have begun to stop off at Jeddah’s port.
Premiere of the ‘Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet’
Taking place at the biennale was the premiere of the ‘Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet’ film directed by my friend Ovidio Salazar. The film is part documentary - focusing on Dr Alkadi’s research on Hirjah– and part meditation on migration in the context of religious persecution. The film and its premiere are particularly noteworthy given cinemas were banned until relatively recently.
