Islamic Arts Biennale 2025

Curator

Dr Julian Raby

Born in London in 1949, Dr. Julian Raby received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford in 1971 and his doctorate in Oriental studies from the same university in 1981. He was lecturer in Islamic art and architecture at the University of Oxford from 1979 to 2006. For 15 years, from 2002 to 2017, he was director of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, which together form the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He is the author of numerous publications in the field of Islamic art, including Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey (1989), Turkish Bookbinding in the 15th Century: The Foundation of an Ottoman Court Style (1993), and Qajar Portraits (1999). His research papers cover a wide range of subjects, including Mosul metalwork in the thirteenth century, the “Classical Revival” in the architecture of Zengid and Ayyubid Syria, and the collections of Jalayirid and Timurid paintings and drawings in the Diez albums. Much of his research touches on cross-cultural themes, as in his book Venice, Dürer and the Oriental Mode (1982) and in his studies of the Greek manuscripts in the library of Mehmed the Conqueror and of the inscriptions on the Pisa Griffin. Raby has served as curator, concept designer, and consultant for numerous museum exhibitions. These include Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey (Istanbul, 1989); Royal Persian Painting: The Qajar Epoch (New York, Los Angeles, and London, 1999); and The Sultan’s Portrait: Picturing the House of Osman (Istanbul, 2000). While at the Smithsonian he oversaw and initiated more than 50 special exhibitions, including the compendious Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries (2007), Style & Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey (2005–2006), Iraq and China: Ceramics, Trade and Innovation (2007), and The Art of the Qur’an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (2016–2017). At Oxford, Raby was the founder and editor of the series Oxford Studies in Islamic Art and the monographs editor for the British Institute at Amman for Archaeology and History, Jordan. He is also the founder of Azimuth Editions, a publisher in the field of Asian art. For his contributions to promoting the study and appreciation of their artistic traditions, he has received orders of merit from Portugal, the Republic of Türkiye, and Japan.

Artistic Director

Amin Jaffer

Dr. Amin Jaffer is Director of The Al Thani Collection, an encyclopedic holding of more than 5,000 works of art spanning millennia, representing the vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. Previously Senior Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, and International Director of Asian Art at Christie’s, Jaffer has authored and edited a number of works including Furniture from British India and Ceylon (V&A, 2001), Luxury Goods: The Art of the Indian Cabinet-Maker (2002) and Made for Maharajas: A Design Diary of Princely India (2006). Jaffer was co-curator of the V&A’s blockbuster exhibition Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe, 1500–1800 (2004) and Maharaja: The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts (2009) and was co-editor of the associated books. He edited Beyond Extravagance: A Royal Collection of Gems and Jewels (2013, second edition 2019) and co-curated the exhibition From the Great Mughals to the Maharajas: Jewels from The Al Thani Collection at the Grand Palais, Paris, and the Palazzo Ducale, Venice (2017). In 2018, he curated a double exhibition in the Forbidden City, Beijing, Treasures from The Al Thani Collection, and edited the associated publications. Working with Martin Chapman, he co-curated East Meets West: Jewels of the Maharajas from The Al Thani Collection at the Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco (2018–2019). In 2019, he curated Man, God and Nature in the Ancient World: Masterpieces from The Al Thani Collection at Tokyo National Museum. Jaffer oversaw the creation of The Al Thani Collection museum spaces at the Hôtel de la Marine, Paris, which opened to critical acclaim in November 2021. Since its inception, the space has presented exhibitions in partnership with prestigious institutions such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon; the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca D’Oro, Venice; and the V&A, London. The next exhibition, A Taste for the Renaissance: A Dialogue between Collections, the second in a series of three exhibitions held in collaboration with the V&A, opened on 6 March 2024.

Artistic Director

Abdul Rahman Azzam

With a BA and DPhil in Middle East and Islamic history from the University of Oxford, Abdul Rahman Azzam is the author of Saladin: The Triumph of the Sunni Revival (2008), The Other Exile (2017), and O Regresso de D. Sebastião (The Return of Sebastian) (2021). Between 2007 and 2017, he worked as Director of Communications and Cultural Advisor to Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation (QF). In 2010, he led the partnership between QF and the British Library, which has to date seen nearly three million documents digitized. He was a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Northwestern University, as well as the Qatar National Library, designed by OMA/Rem Koolhaas. Previously, Azzam was the Managing Director of The Islamic Texts Society, as well as the founder of Hood Hood Books. He is a member of the KITAB project, a group of historians and computer scientists who employ cutting-edge computer sciences and digital humanities to explore historical Arabic texts in completely new ways and to expand the frontiers of knowledge about one of the world’s largest and most complex textual traditions. In 2019–2020, he worked on a cutting-edge digital humanities collaborative project to develop digital methods for research into the biography of the Prophet. He is currently working on a digital humanities network analysis project on power and patronage during the time of Saladin. Azzam worked as a Senior Expert Advisor on AlMadar for the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in 2023.

Contemporary Art Curator

Muhannad Shono

Muhannad Shono, born in Riyadh in 1977, is a multidisciplinary artist, trained in architecture and working across a range of different mediums. Across intimate works on paper, site-specific interventions, sculptural work, and robotic installations, he has established himself as one of Saudi Arabia’s most original artistic voices. The main drivers of his practice draw on mythology, the usage of the line, the void, and natural and reclaimed materials to create speculative and generative narratives. He represented Saudi Arabia at the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with his project The Teaching Tree (2022). He has participated in biennials and festivals including the Sea Art Festival, Busan (2023); the Islamic Arts Biennale, Jeddah (2023); Noor Riyadh Festival (2022 and 2023); la Biennale de Lyon (2022); the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale (2021); and Desert X, Al Ula (2020). He has exhibited in various group and solo shows across the region and internationally, including at the Louvre Abu Dhabi (2023); Parcours, Art Basel (2022); the British Museum, London (2021 and 2018); GAM Sculpture Garden, Turin (2019); MACBA, Barcelona (2018); Ithra Art Centre, Dammam (2019); 21.39 Jeddah Arts (2020 and 2017); and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2017). Shono’s work is in the collections of the British Museum, London; the Jameel Art Foundation, Dubai; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Ithra Art Centre, Dammam; and Al-Mansouria Foundation, Riyadh. Shono is the recipient of the 2021–2022 National Cultural Award in Visual Arts, Saudi Arabia. His forthcoming monograph Muhannad Shono Works [2014-2024] is published by Kehrer Verlag. He lives and works in Riyadh and is represented by Athr Gallery.