Get ready, art enthusiasts! Saudi Arabia is set to make a significant splash at the 2026 Venice Biennale, and the artist chosen to represent the Kingdom is none other than Dana Awartani. This announcement has generated a buzz of excitement, and for good reason! Awartani is a rising star, known for her captivating work that beautifully blends cultural heritage and contemporary art.
Awartani will be working with Antonia Carver, who will be the curator for the event, and Hafsa Alkhudairi as the assistant curator.
Awartani's artistic journey is fascinating. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Central St Martins in London. But here's where it gets controversial... Awartani mentioned that she resisted expectations about her work as an Arab woman artist while studying there. She further honed her skills by studying Islamic geometry at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and later earned an ijaza (formal Islamic certification) in Turkey, mastering the art of illumination.
Her art skillfully navigates these two worlds, and while the specifics of her Venice Biennale project remain under wraps, hints suggest a deep dive into cultural heritage and its associated ideas. Awartani emphasizes that heritage sites are more than just physical structures; they are vessels of memory, belonging, and everyday life, especially in the Middle East.
Born and raised in Jeddah, with a Saudi father and a mother of Palestinian and Syrian descent, Awartani's work is deeply connected to the region's history and current events. Her art has responded to recent conflicts in the Middle East. For instance, at the Arnolfini in Bristol earlier this year, she recreated the tiled floor of the Hamam al-Sammara, a bathhouse in Gaza, which was reportedly destroyed by Israeli strikes in 2023.
This wasn't her first venture into this type of work. In 2021, at the Diriyah Biennale in Riyadh, she restaged the tiled pattern of the Grand Mosque of Aleppo, which was significantly damaged during the Syrian Civil War. Awartani collaborated with traditional mud-brick makers in Saudi Arabia for both projects, instructing them to omit the hay that typically binds the bricks. This deliberate omission created cracks throughout the pattern, symbolizing the vulnerability of these historical sites.
Carver, director of Art Jameel, highlights Awartani's ability to seamlessly transition between the micro and the macro. Awartani's work, according to Carver, exposes the textures, meanings, and fragilities within the organic materials she uses, moving from that to the macro of our shared cultural heritage.
Carver, a prominent figure in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, directs Art Jameel, the philanthropic foundation overseeing the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai and Hayy Jameel in Jeddah. Alkhudairi is involved in contemporary art commissions in AlUla, a cultural and tourist destination in northwest Saudi Arabia, and also undertakes curatorial and research projects.
The Saudi pavilion is organized by the Visual Arts Commission, which is part of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Contemporary Art. This will be the fourth art pavilion by Saudi Arabia in its permanent space in the Arsenale.
What do you think? Will Awartani's work spark conversations about heritage, conflict, and the intersection of the past and present? Share your thoughts in the comments below – are you excited about the themes she explores? Do you have any favorite artists who also blend tradition and contemporary art?
