Saudi biennale blends contemporary art with Islamic heritage for global stage


By AGENCY

Lebanese artist Tamara Kalo poses by her artwork, a contemporary adaption of Ibn Haytham’s camera. Photo: AFP

Under a vast canopy of tents in the Saudi city of Jeddah, religious artefacts are on display alongside contemporary art pieces, part of the kingdom’s bid to transform its ultraconservative image.

The second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale, titled “And All That Is In Between”, features as its centrepiece segments of the “kiswa”, the black cloth embroidered with gold and silver that covers the Kaaba, the cubic building towards which all Muslims pray.

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Saudi Arabia , Jeddah , art , biennale , tradition , heritage , culture

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