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Architects: OMA
- Area: 120000 m²
- Year: 2025
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Photographs:Marco Cappelletti
Text description provided by the architects. The 2025 Islamic Arts Biennale displays over 500 historical objects and 30 contemporary art commissions—more than double the content of the inaugural edition. Spread across five galleries, two pavilions, and the outdoor spaces under SOM's Hajj Terminal canopy, the exhibition is divided into three indoor areas—AlBidayah (The Beginning), AlMadar (The Orbit), and Almuqtani (Homage)—and the outdoor Almidhallah (The Canopy).
OMA's scenography unifies the exhibition through an environment of abstract forms that reinterprets archetypal architectural elements. The material palette is deliberately restrained: white fabric of various types is used throughout, with perceived color differences achieved through subtle variations in lighting. To create contrast, the frames of the vitrines are painted black, which echoes the color of many artworks and artifacts.
AlBidayah, dedicated to the sacred, consists of large and tall spaces defined by curved translucent walls that amplify the monumentality of the objects on display. The highlight of the section is the four Kiswahs of the Holy Kaaba, exhibited for the first time ever in their entirety. AlBidayah includes two pavilions under the canopy, AlMukarramah and AlMunawwarah, which showcase objects from Makkah and Madinah together with contemporary artworks. AlMukarramah is conceived as a dark space with a glowing white room at its center, while AlMunawwarah has a free-flowing, non-linear design.
AlMadar, with contributions from 34 institutions in 21 countries, features a forest of 37 abstract rectangular columns. Made of concentric layers of translucent textiles and illuminated from below and within, they emerge as extrusions of the vitrines underneath, gradually fading into the ceiling's darkness. The density of columns helps visitors identify and navigate the thematic clusters and discover the participating institutions.
The scenography of AlMuqtani is designed to give equal importance to the two collections displayed in this section. A bowtie-shaped layout divides the gallery into two triangles of equal size, one for each collection. The triangles are defined by symmetrical pleated walls that ascend from eye level to the full height of the room. Each pleat hosts a vitrine, forming a seamless display front, revealed only as visitors circulate through the gallery.
AlMidhallah presents a number of site-specific artworks on the theme of gardens in Islamic culture. Extensive plantations have been added to our 2023 landscape intervention, structuring the placement of the artworks. Together, they occupy a square of nine canopy bays in the center of the outdoor space, which creates a more compact and intimate journey through the exhibition.
