ISLAMIC ARTS BIENNALE
2023 January 23 — May 23, 2023
Jeddah

Saudi Arabia witnessed a historic moment with the opening of the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale, which presented historic and contemporary works of Islamic art from around the world.
This Biennale explores the timeless rituals that have defined Islam from its beginning through to the present day. These rituals are about movement, sound, and invisible lines of direction. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the two holy mosques and the sacred landscapes around them, is the spiritual focus for Muslims across the world. Awwal Bait, literally meaning “First House,” refers to the Ka’bah in Makkah, the holiest site in Islam. This Islamic Arts Biennale is situated at the gateway to Makkah, in the historic Hajj Terminal in Jeddah. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1981 and recipient of the 1983 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, each year this prestigious building welcomes millions of pilgrims making their way to the Ka’bah. Over the centuries billions of people from around the world have passed through this region, the Hijaz—sharing their rituals, crafts, traditions, and knowledge—making it one of the greatest areas of cultural exchange on Earth.
However diverse Muslims across the globe may be, the Awwal Bait, the First House of Allah in Makkah, is in all their hearts, and always present in the daily rituals of worship. This shared source of faith, shared philosophies, and shared sense of belonging unite all Muslims.
The Islamic Arts Biennale juxtaposes contemporary art and historical artifacts as expressions of this sense of belonging—of being at “home,” both at a personal, human level, and on the scale of the infinite and eternal.
(press release)

YET, IT MOVES!
12.05.23 – 30.12.23
Copenhagen Contemporary

Experience the spectacular encounter with art and science in CC’s large new exhibition Yet, It Moves! The pathbreaking research and exhibition project featuring a stellar array of Danish and international artists presents works at CC and in urban spaces across Copenhagen exploring the universe’s only constant: movement! Over two years, specially selected artists have been working with some of the world’s most prominent research institutions. Now, the result is a range of spectacular works unfolding the theme of motion as an omnipresent phenomenon and raising our awareness of the many complex movement patterns we are all entangled in.
Nothing stands still. Even things we consider immutable are in constant motion – within, above and all around us. Motion is a fundamental premise of everything in the universe, from the tiniest atomic particles to the human body and the macrocosm of the stars.
Recognized in glimpses, this greater, moving whole is embodied in spectacular artworks giving shape and form to complex phenomena like black holes, star formation and gravitational waves – from the macro scale of the expanding universe to the micro scale of atomic explosions and particle.