News
Sharjah Biennial is returning to the UAE’s third-largest Emirate, and this year’s edition promises to be bigger than ever before. Sharjah Biennial 16 will run from February 6 to June 15, 2025, showcasing over 650 works by nearly 200 artists, including more than 200 new commissions.
Spanning across a myriad of venues in Sharjah, the biennial’s theme “to carry” invites visitors to explore a rich tapestry of artistic expressions that dive deep into the ways we navigate the world through our collective burdens and aspirations.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sharjah Biennial 16:
It’s Taking Place All Over Sharjah
The biennial stretches across 17 venues, offering visitors a chance to experience art all over the cultural hub that is Sharjah. Among the primary sites are the Sharjah Art Foundation spaces in Al Mureijah Square, Calligraphy Square, and Al Hamriyah Studios, each hosting installations and performances.
But the biennial extends well beyond the city centre. Venues in Kalba, Al Dhaid, and Al Madam will also host the biennial, which is set to play a vital role in defining the city’s arts and culture scene, engaging directly with local cultures and histories.
The Biennial is Curating a Global Conversation
At the heart of Sharjah Biennial 16 is its groundbreaking curatorial framework, led by five curators: Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala, and Zeynep Öz. Each of these esteemed individuals brings a personal perspective to the biennial, together weaving a truly international narrative around themes of migration, Indigenous histories, storytelling, and humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and technology.
Sharjah’s Maritime History Takes Centre Stage
To symbolise Sharjah’s rich coastal heritage and historical significance as a site of connection, trade, and exchange, artists are putting the ocean at the centre of their works at the biennial to reflect on trade, migration, and the intricate relationship between land and water.
Mariam M. Alnoaimi reimagines the Gulf’s waters as living entities, bringing to life local rituals that urban expansion has threatened to erase. Akinbode Akinbiyi’s Sea Never Dry offers a poetic photographic journey along Sharjah’s corniche, capturing the ebb and flow of human presence on the coast, and Cassi Namoda’s evocative paintings tell powerful stories of motherhood and labour along Mozambique’s shoreline, illustrating how cultural memory is carried across generations.
The Biennial Finds Space for Environmental Concerns and Sustainability
With the climate crisis only growing in intensity, environmental issues take centre stage at Sharjah Biennial 16. Multiple artists are addressing land degradation, climate change, and sustainability. Yhonnie Scarce’s glass installations, resembling radioactive rain clouds, highlight the devastating impact of nuclear testing on Indigenous lands in Australia. Adelita Husni-Bey’s Like a Flood critiques Libya’s deteriorating water infrastructure, linking it to colonial exploitation and contemporary struggles. Risham Syed’s kinetic sculptures and wheat patches draw attention to global food insecurity, inspired by communal kitchens and sustainable agriculture.
Technology and Innovation are in Focus
Another prominent theme of the biennial is the exploration of technology and its historical and societal implications. Several artists delve into the complex relationships between innovation, environment, and culture. Akira Ikezoe’s animations explore the disastrous consequences of nuclear accidents, while Pratchaya Phinthong experiments with solar energy to revive marine ecosystems. Fernando Palma Rodríguez, a pioneer in Indigenous robotic art, reimagines ancient knowledge systems as blueprints for sustainable technological futures. In Joe Namy’s installation Dub Plants, set to be unveiled in Al Mureijah Square, visitors will discover how agriculture and radio culture intersect.
Sharjah Biennial 16 is More Than it’s Art
Despite the quality of the works on display, Sharjah Biennial 16 is more than just an art exhibition. It’s also an immersive experience designed to engage visitors on multiple levels.
The biennial includes the March Meeting, running from the 7th to the 9th, where artists, curators, and scholars will come together for in-depth discussions around the theme “to carry”; and April Acts (April 18-20), which will include a program of artist talks, film screenings, panel discussions, and live performances.
A dedicated podcast series will also offer listeners exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, featuring conversations with artists and curators about their creative processes and the themes that drive their work.
There are simply too many varied, personal and dynamic installations and events embodying the essence of the biennial’s theme: “to carry” for them all to find a space in this piece. The biennial invites visitors to reflect on what they carry–both physically and metaphorically–and how art can serve as a powerful tool for preservation, transformation, and imagining new futures.
So, don’t miss out – plan your visit and prepare to immerse yourself in one of the UAE’s most exciting cultural events of 2025.
For more information, visit the Sharjah Art Foundation’s website here.
Words: Hamza Shehryar
