Sharjah Art Foundation Announces Biennial 17, 'What Remains, Sits Restive', for January 2027

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Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · Release dated September 28 · 1 min read
Sharjah Art Foundation Announces Biennial 17, 'What Remains, Sits Restive', for January 2027
Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation
Exhibition Sharjah Art Foundation

The Facts

On September 28, 2026, Sharjah Art Foundation announced further details of the 17th edition of Sharjah Biennial (SB17), curated by Angela Harutyunyan and Paula Nascimento under the theme "What remains, sits restive." The biennial will run from January 21 to June 13, 2027, across 11 venues in Sharjah, Al Dhaid, Kalba, and Khorfakkan. The opening week programme from January 21 to 24 includes performances by Ângela Ferreira, Cynthia Zaven, Christian Salablanca Díaz, Jessica Ekomane, and Ntshepe Tsekere Bopape, concluding with a film programme curated by Harutyunyan and Tevž Logar. The 18th edition of March Meeting will take place March 19–21, 2027, featuring performances by Victor Gama, Wendy Morris, and Hassan Khan.

The Signal

The biennial's curatorial framework engages with unresolved pasts and the restive residues of modernity, with Harutyunyan tracing afterlives of socialist modernity and Nascimento using infrastructure to explore place and memory. SB17 continues Sharjah Art Foundation's role as a major platform for contemporary art in the Gulf, drawing international participants and fostering dialogue around postcolonial and anti-colonial histories. For collectors and curators, the biennial signals a sustained institutional commitment to politically engaged, research-driven exhibitions that challenge dominant narratives, reinforcing Sharjah's position as a cultural hub in the region.

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  • Artists: Ângela Ferreira, Cynthia Zaven, Christian Salablanca Díaz, Jessica Ekomane, Ntshepe Tsekere Bopape, Victor Gama, Wendy Morris, Hassan Khan
  • People: Angela Harutyunyan, Paula Nascimento, Hoor Al Qasimi, Tevž Logar
  • Museums: Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation
  • Locations: Sharjah, Al Dhaid, Kalba, Khorfakkan
Originally via Sharjah Art Foundation · Curated by The Cultural Signal
Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation

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