Alexandria Biennale to Return in 2027 After 12-Year Hiatus

Alexandria, August 31, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – After a 12-year pause, the Alexandria Biennale will return in September 2027 with its 27th edition, restoring one of Egypt’s leading art events to the international cultural calendar.

Curated by Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr, the exhibition will be titled “This Too Shall Pass” and feature 55 artists from across the Mediterranean region in its main program. “If you want to return, you have to do it to a high standard,” Nasr told The Art Newspaper. “The art scene in Egypt is like a lake that has been still for a long time, with no oxygen able to reach the bottom. We want to throw a big stone into the lake and make waves. It is a time for change.”

Founded in 1955 under former President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the biennale was originally created to showcase regional talent and artistic traditions rooted in national identities, with participation focused on Mediterranean countries. The event was suspended in 2011 during the Egyptian revolution, briefly reopened in 2014, and then shut down again due to financial and political instability.

Nasr, who represented Egypt at the 2017 Venice Biennale, said the 2027 edition will preserve the event’s founding spirit of regional solidarity but also include artists from outside the Mediterranean. The main program will be complemented by smaller exhibitions in Alexandria museums highlighting emerging Egyptian artists.

Planned venues include the Roman amphitheater, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the Qaitbay Citadel, situating the biennale within Alexandria’s historic role as a cultural and commercial capital of the Mediterranean.