Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Opens Under Theme ‘After Rain’

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) (Marco Cappellletti)
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) (Marco Cappellletti)
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Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Opens Under Theme ‘After Rain’

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) (Marco Cappellletti)
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) (Marco Cappellletti)

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation inaugurated on Monday the second edition of Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, held under the theme “After Rain”, showcasing the works of Saudi and international artists, SPA said.
Held until May 24 in the JAX district, in Diriyah, the exhibition is curated by Ute Meta Bauer, artistic director of the biennale. Some 100 artists, including 30 from the Gulf countries, exhibit 177 artworks in six indoor and outdoor halls and courtyards spread over 12,900 square meters.

Photo by Alessandro Brasile

 

The works are based on artistic research inspired by the curatorial team trips throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which culminated in a creative artistic dialogue between different generations.
This edition of the biennale gathers artists from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and environments who contemplate the relationship between humans and nature, interact with the surrounding nature, and focus their works on primary human needs such as water, food, and medical care.
They also narrate history, in a country undergoing rapid developments and changes, and offer a rich multi-sensory experience.
For the second edition of the biennale, the Diriyah Biennale Foundation supported 47 new artists, including Jumana Emil Abboud, Sara Abdu, Mohammad AlFaraj, Azra Akšamija, Tarek Atoui, Rachaporn Chochoy, Vikram Divesha, Christine Fenzl, Anne Holtrop, Armin Linke and Ahmed Mater in an artistic collaboration, Njokobok, and Camille Zakharia.
Artist Tania Mouraud displays on a roundabout in the JAX district, and Mariah Lookman’s work is displayed in Shamalat Diriyah, the artistic cultural center located on the outskirts of old Diriyah.


Besides the art exhibition, there will also be a series of meetings and dialogues among artists, workshops, 10 film screenings in the Black Box Theater, an area for research-based artworks, and displays of research projects and artistic talks, which began last April, under the title Biennale Meetings Series.
These last activities will continue over the course of a full year, in conjunction with the interactive “Learning Garden” online platform, which continues to showcase the ideas presented at the biennale even after the conclusion of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale.


Diriyah Biennale Foundation CEO Aya Al-Bakree said the second edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale “synchronizes with the great renaissance and the civilizational and developmental transformation that the Kingdom is experiencing, especially in the arts sector”.
She said that this edition of the event is a cultural experience that calls for contemplation and reflection, and resonates with visitors of all cultures and ages.
The depth of research conducted by Meta Bauer adds creativity and vitality to the event, Al-Bakree said.



Japan’s Sado Mines Added to World Heritage List

This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
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Japan’s Sado Mines Added to World Heritage List

This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)

A network of mines on a Japanese island infamous for using conscripted wartime labor was added to UNESCO's World Heritage register Saturday after South Korea dropped earlier objections to its listing.

The Sado gold and silver mines, now a popular tourist attraction, are believed to have started operating as early as the 12th century and produced until after World War II.

Japan had put a case for World Heritage listing because of their lengthy history and the artisanal mining techniques used there at a time when European mines had turned to mechanization.

The proposal was opposed by Seoul when it was first put because of the use of involuntary Korean labor during World War II, when Japan occupied the Korean peninsula.

UNESCO confirmed the listing of the mines at its ongoing committee meeting in New Delhi on Saturday after a bid highlighting its archaeological preservation of "mining activities and social and labor organization".

"I would like to wholeheartedly welcome the inscription... and pay sincere tribute to the long-standing efforts of the local people which made this possible," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said in a statement.

The World Heritage effort was years in the making, inspired in part by the successful recognition of a silver mine in western Japan's Shimane region.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it had agreed to the listing "on the condition that Japan faithfully implements the recommendation... to reflect the 'full history' at the Sado Gold Mine site and takes proactive measures to that end."

Historians have argued that recruitment conditions at the mine effectively amounted to forced labor, and that Korean workers faced significantly harsher conditions than their Japanese counterparts.

"Discrimination did exist," Toyomi Asano, a professor of history of Japanese politics at Tokyo's Waseda University, told AFP in 2022.

"Their working conditions were very bad and dangerous. The most dangerous jobs were allocated to them."

Also added to the list on Saturday was the Beijing Central Axis, a collection of former imperial palaces and gardens in the Chinese capital.

The UNESCO committee meeting runs until Wednesday.