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Bienalsur Opens at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax

The Saudi Ministry of Culture inaugurated the third edition of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South – Bienalsur – at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax (SAMoCA). (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Culture inaugurated the third edition of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South – Bienalsur – at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax (SAMoCA). (SPA)
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Bienalsur Opens at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax

The Saudi Ministry of Culture inaugurated the third edition of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South – Bienalsur – at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax (SAMoCA). (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Culture inaugurated the third edition of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South – Bienalsur – at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax (SAMoCA). (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Culture inaugurated the third edition of the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South – Bienalsur – at Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at Jax (SAMoCA), said a statement from the ministry on Wednesday.

The exhibition, titled “Imagine: Fantasies, Dreams, Utopias”, presents the artworks of 26 renowned artists from Saudi Arabia and the world. Displayed in SAMoCA’s interior as well as external spaces, the exhibition extends its reach to the JAX District with a presence that modifies the perception of space to reveal new and unexpected aspects that shed light on fantasy and creativity.

Part of the exhibition is showcased at Fenaa Alawwal’s cultural center in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh. Titled “Blur the borders”, it displays artworks that are the product of the cross-residencies of six photographers from Saudi Arabia, France and Argentina who engaged in an inspiring cross-cultural dialogue and encounter.

In 2019 Saudi Arabia made history as the first Middle Eastern country to host the exhibition at the National Museum in Riyadh. In 2021, Bienalsur returned to Saudi Arabia with installations at Jax District in Riyadh and Khuzam Palace in Jeddah, welcoming over 20 artists from five continents, including five artists from Saudi Arabia.

SAMoCA’s hosting of the third edition of Bienalsur reflects its commitment to promote cultural exchange and elevate the local cultural and artistic scene in line with the Ministry of Culture’s mission to promote culture as a way of life.

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Australia Bans Uranium Mining at Indigenous Site

A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Australia Bans Uranium Mining at Indigenous Site

A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Australia moved Saturday to ban mining at one of the world's largest high-grade uranium deposits, highlighting the site's "enduring connection" to Indigenous Australians.

The Jabiluka deposit in northern Australia is surrounded by the heritage-listed Kakadu national park, a tropical expanse of gorges and waterfalls featured in the first "Crocodile Dundee" film.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the national park would be extended to include the Jabiluka site -- which has never been mined -- honoring the decades-long desires of the Mirrar people.

"They were seeking a guarantee that there would never be uranium mining on their land," Albanese told a crowd of Labor Party supporters in Sydney.

"This means there will never be mining at Jabiluka," he added.

Archaeologists discovered a buried trove of stone axes and tools near the Jabiluka site in 2017, which they dated at tens of thousands of years old.

The find was "proof of the extraordinary and enduring connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander have had with our land", Albanese said.

"The Mirrar people have loved and cared for their land for more than 60,000 years.

"That beautiful part of Australia is home to some of the oldest rock art in the world," he added.

Discovered in the early 1970s, efforts to exploit the Jabiluka deposit have for decades been tied-up in legal wrangling between Indigenous custodians and mining companies.

It is one of the world's largest unexploited high-grade uranium deposits, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Rio Tinto-controlled company Energy Resources of Australia previously held mining leases at Jabiluka.

The conservation of Indigenous sites has come under intense scrutiny in Australia after mining company Rio Tinto blew up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020.

Australia's conservative opposition has vowed to build nuclear power plants across the country if it wins the next election, overturning a 26-year nuclear ban.