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Hoor Al Qasimi has served as the director of the Sharjah Biennial since 2003 and is the president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, which she founded in 2009. She co-curated the sixth Sharjah Biennial (2003) and curated the critically acclaimed 15th Sharjah Biennial (2023). Al Qasimi is the artistic director of the 2025 Aichi Triennale, as the first person from outside Japan to hold the role, and the artistic director of the 2026 Biennale of Sydney.
The 16th Sharjah Biennial is curated by five women curators. I have worked with each of them individually in the past and know their strengths well. I wanted to bring them together to create something meaningful for Sharjah at this moment. It’s wonderful to see them unite diverse voices and perspectives in this edition. If you look at our history, we also have consistently collaborated with many women curators.
The biennial started in 1993, and I got involved and became its director in 2002. We were already doing a lot, but we weren’t calling ourselves a foundation. So, we decided to create an umbrella to bring everything together. The Sharjah Art Foundation was established in 2009, building on the history of cultural collaboration and exchange of the previous editions of this biennial. Then we started doing so many things outside of the biennial. It has helped us because we have a year-round program and need to engage with the community. Continuity and sustainability were important too. This way, our team has gained more experience working with artists across multiple editions of the biennial.
It has grown a lot over the years, and we definitely have more support now. Some of the people working here now used to come as children to attend workshops. We also have more partners for co-commissioning and collaborating on projects, and we’ve gained more sponsors as well.
Hashel Al Lamki, Maat, 2025. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation. Courtesy of the artist and Tabari Artspace, Dubai. Installation view: Sharjah Biennail 16, Al Qasimiyah School, Sharjah, 2025. Photo: Motaz Mawid
We’ve also been able to engage more with local artists, especially those who work with the community or specific sites. I’ve always wanted to expand the biennial beyond a single location and bring it into city centers. For me, it’s very important to create projects in different towns and villages.
The Sharjah Biennial is integrated into different university programs here, which is important to me. I feel like this brings something valuable—having all these amazing artists and curators coming in is an incredible educational opportunity, and students should make the most of it. It has truly become a hub for learning and artistic exchange.
With more Gulf regions and countries getting involved with contemporary art, like Saudi Arabia, I think it’s great. I do get annoyed when people see it as a competition. In reality, it’s amazing that more places are establishing their own initiatives. It means young people and children don’t have to travel far—they have access to art in their hometowns. And that’s important. They grow up with it, they get curious, and eventually, they explore beyond their own cities. It only strengthens the region as a whole. I would love for every town to have a biennial because it nurtures people of all ages. Saudi Arabia has always had incredible artists. In the past, many young artists would come to Sharjah because it was nearby, and they could experience the biennial firsthand.
The more biennials there are, the better—it fosters dialogues. Each of us has our own approach; we’re not trying to do the same thing. There are so many artists who need platforms and so many projects that need to happen. We can collaborate, exchange ideas, and showcase different perspectives. There is a real need for more spaces where people can engage with art.
In Sharjah, we are also focused on creating and restoring spaces. Our work happens in phases as budgets allow. We restore and repurpose a lot of old and modern buildings. At this point, I’m working on developing more studio spaces for artists. We already have artist residencies, but I want to expand them to include studios where both visiting and local artists can work together and spark new conversations.
We’ve already established small art centers that offer workshops for all ages, from young children to senior citizens. We’re also in the process of building our library and theater. We just keep moving forward, continuing the work.
For my roles beyond Sharjah, it’s always about site and place. It’s really important to connect with the location, and to bring in my own experience, but also to learn from the team on the ground. For the Aichi Triennale, I wanted to visit as many Japanese artists as possible, meet with people, and listen to the team. It is the same for Sydney. I’ve visited every edition of the biennial since 2012. I know many Australian artists and have worked extensively with different communities, including Aboriginal art centers. It’s such a vast country to navigate, it is challenging, yet crucial.
Ultimately, it’s all about connecting communities and giving space to different voices.
—As told to Cathy Fan
