Manal AlDowayan to represent Saudia Arabia at the 2024 Venice Biennale.

Manal AlDowayan will represent Saudi Arabia during the 2024 Venice Biennale. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture’s Visual Arts Commission, which commissions the Saudi national pavilion in Venice. AlDowayan is known for her multidisciplinary approach spanning photography, sound, and sculptures. For the pavilion, she will create an installation aligned with the Biennale’s theme, “Foreigners Everywhere,” focusing on cultural disparities.

Born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1973, AlDowayan creates work devoted to challenging the socio political norms in her home region. Her notable works include the black-and-white portrait series “If I Forget You Don’t Forget Me” (2012), capturing Saudi oil workers; and “And I, Will I Forget?” (2016), a photography series that interweaves intergenerational narratives of Saudi culture. In “From Shattered Ruins, New Life Shall Bloom” (2023), she invited visitors to shatter porcelain scrolls at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, embodying women reclaiming their narratives.

“My approach to art over the last two decades has given me the chance to be part of a transformation that is taking place in my country,” AlDowayan said. “The Biennale Arte 2024 presents a rare opportunity to represent where I stand in my practice, positioned in the context of my community, my country, and the world as a whole.”

Educated at the Royal College of Art, London, AlDowayan is currently represented by the Madrid–based gallery Sabrina Amrani. She has showcased her work globally, including at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the British Museum, and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. The Venice Biennale 2024 marks Saudi Arabia’s fourth year participating and will offer an international stage for AlDowayan to further explore collective memory and sociopolitical tensions within the art world.