Saudi arts reached a new international level, after the establishment of a new modern art institute named Thunaiyat Ad-Diriyah Foundation [The Shield Duets] was announced yesterday. The institute tasked with organizing a biennale event that alternates between a modern art gallery and an Islamic art gallery.
The Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Farhan will chair the board of directors of the Institute; while Aya Habib al-Bakri will serve as the CEO.
The Institute will commence activities by organizing the first round of the biennale- to be in 2021. It will also tackle the modern arts, while the second round in 2022 will deal with Islamic arts.
By organizing the biennale; the Institute seeks to fulfill the vision and directions that the Ministry of Culture set for modern arts platforms. Besides, developing them to a standard that turns the Kingdom into a regional and global center for arts and culture.
To diversify their exhibitions, the Institute will alternate biennales between modern arts and Islamic arts. This also aims to create a wider space for Saudi artists from different creative schools through a prestigious art platform; to allow them to exhibit their works and interact with artists from all over the world.
The biennale will serve as a creative platform that would allow an international audience; to see Saudi art and cultural exhibits in all their depth and diversity.
The biennale is one of the initiatives that the Ministry of Culture announced during a ceremony; in which it inaugurated its vision and directions as part of a set of initial initiatives to motivate Saudi artists and enable them in the visual arts. Establishing the Thunaiyat Ad-Diriyah Foundation came as an important step toward organizing a biennale per the international standards that would satisfy the ambitions of the Ministry of Culture as well as fulfill the Kingdom's 2030 vision.