On 6 February, Sharjah Biennial 16 (SB16), one of the Middle East’s most significant art events, opened to the public. Organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation and titled “to carry”, the Biennial is curated by Alia Swastika (Director of the Biennale Jogja Foundation, Yogyakarta), Amal Khalaf (Curator at Large, Public Practice at Serpentine Galleries, London), Megan Tamati-Quennell (Curator of modern and contemporary Māori and Indigenous art, New Zealand), Natasha Ginwala (Artistic Director at COLOMBOSCOPE) and independent curator Zeynep Öz. Running through 15 June 2025, SB16 offers a dynamic programme of exhibitions, performances, music, and film.
Exploring the idea of what we carry physically, emotionally, and historically, the Biennial reflects on how we navigate spaces that are not our own and how our cultural heritage shapes our responses to them. Through a discursive approach embracing diverse perspectives, the theme “to carry” connects stories and traditions across generations and geographies, questioning what we bring with us when we travel, flee, survive, or remain.
SB16 unfolds across 17 venues throughout the Emirate of Sharjah, including Sharjah City, Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid, and Kalba. It features over 650 works by almost 200 participants, with more than 200 new commissions, amplifying narratives from multiple cultures, languages, and histories.
...
Italian artist Rossella Biscotti examines nature as a resource and a site of conflict in Saturated Salty Mud Stories (2025), an installation composed of three of her works: Circulations, Oil Vessels: Time Smuggling Geometry, and Sand Portables. The first piece transforms oil and gas pipelines into sprawling sculptures, referencing the UAE’s energy industry. Oil Vessels reinvents ancient Islamic oil and perfume containers in glass, while Sand Portables, developed with ceramist Maia Beyrouti, experiments with ceramic and glaze techniques using materials partially sourced from Sharjah.