In the first episode of Hwar AlMadar, the Director of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation's Islamic Arts Biennale, Farida Alhusseini, alongside one of the three Artistic Directors of the Islamic Arts Biennale, Dr. Abdulrahman Azzam, and AlMadar Lead, Masa Al-Kutoubi discuss the vision of AlMadar. Meaning “The Orbit,” AlMadar is one of the seven unique components of the Islamic Arts Biennale that promotes collaboration and dialogue between institutions with significant collections of Islamic art around the world. Their conversation emphasizes collaboration among institutions, the importance of creativity and connectivity and the process of bringing diverse voices and collections together to create a transformative experience. They reflect on how historical and contemporary pieces are integrated, underscoring AlMadar's role in enriching cultural understanding and perpetuating Islamic civilizations’ legacy.

01:14 Introduction
01:30 AlMadar's Role
04:15 Challenges and Evolution of Institutional Participation
06:28 The Journey and Workshops Leading to the Biennale
12:23 Curatorial Vision and Three Axes Approach
15:41 Contemporary Commissions and Collaborations
22:05 Debunking the Myth of the Golden Age
26:35 The Rich Legacy of Mali
27:07 Indonesia's Underrepresented Islamic Art
27:57 Challenging the Golden Age Narrative
29:09 Collaborative Process of AlMadar
32:55 The Concept of Islands in AlMadar
35:46 Integrating AlMadar into the Biennale
47:00 The Beauty of Functional Islamic Art
50:40 The Future of IAB and AlMadar
53:25 Jeddah's Unique Contribution

Farida Alhusseini is the Director of the Islamic Arts Biennale at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation (DBF). Having joined DBF in 2021, her role was instrumental in launching the inaugural edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale, which achieved a record number of visitors. She holds a BA in Social Anthropology and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto and an MA in Narrative Environments from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London.

Connect with Farida 👉 https://www.instagram.com/farida.s.husseini/

Dr Abdul Rahman Azzam read history at Oxford where he obtained his BA and Dphil. Between 2007-2017, he worked as Director of Communications and Cultural Advisor to Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF). In 2012, he led the partnership between QF and the British Library to digitize over three million documents. He was a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Northwestern University, as well as the Qatar National Library. Previously, he was the Managing Director of The Islamic Texts Society, as well as the founder of Hood Hood Books. He is the author of Saladin: The Triumph of the Sunni Revival, The Other Exile, and The Return of Sebastian. He was Senior Expert Advisor on AlMadar ("The Orbit"), a special initiative by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation (DBF) that promotes collaboration and dialogue between institutions with significant collections of Islamic art around the world, and inaugurated at the first edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale in 2023.

Masa Al-Kutoubi is AlMadar Lead at the DBF's Islamic Arts Biennale and brings over 15 years of experience in art advisory and consultancy, having previously served as Head of Sales and Art Specialist at Christie’s. She advises private, corporate, and government clients across the GCC on integrating art and culture into their business strategies, focusing on collections, artist patronage, and large-scale cultural initiatives. She has played key roles in major exhibitions, including Desert X AlUla 2020 and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2022. In 2023, she led the team for the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale, creating AlMadar (“the Orbit”), one of the seven unique components of the Islamic Arts Biennale that promotes collaboration and dialogue between institutions with significant collections of Islamic art around the world.

Connect with Masa 👉 https://www.instagram.com/diamondthebookseller/

Hosted by:
Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu

Hwar AlMadar is a dedicated podcast series inspired by AlMadar, meaning “the Orbit,” an initiative launched by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation at the Islamic Arts Biennale that promotes collaboration and dialogue between institutions with significant collections of Islamic art around the world. 

A live podcast series powered by afikra, Hwar AlMadar is part of The Diriyah Biennale Foundation Public Programs and features leading experts from institutions around the world that contributed to AlMadar in the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 in Jeddah. AlMadar showcases objects that embody centuries of knowledge, masterful craftsmanship, and the spirit of cultural exchange.

The Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 provides a holistic platform for new discourse about Islamic arts, offering an unparalleled space for learning, research, and insight. By juxtaposing contemporary and newly commissioned artworks with historical objects from Islamic cultures, the Biennale explores how faith is experienced, expressed, and celebrated through feeling, thinking, and making. It offers a unique platform for artists to explore themes of spirituality, identity, and the intersection of past and present, while fostering cross-cultural connections and expanding the global understanding of Islamic art and culture.

حوار المدار هو سلسلة بودكاست حيّة تابعة للبرنامج الثقافي في مؤسسة بينالي الدرعية، بالتعاون مع عفكرة. يستضيف البودكاست خبراء عالميين من المؤسسات المشاركة في "المدار" الذي يضم مقتنيات تختزل قروناً من المعرفة والحرفية والتبادل الثقافي، في بينالي جدة للفنون الإسلامية 2025

يقدم بينالي الفنون الإسلامية منصة شاملة لاستضافة وتشجيع الحوار وتوسيع المعرفة بالفنون الإسلامية، وذلك من خلال ما يوفره من فرص للبحث والتأمل والتعلم في مختلف المجالات. يعرض البينالي تحفاً تاريخية من مختلف الثقافات الإسلامية، جنباً إلى جنب مع أعمال من الفن المعاصر، وذلك في محاولة لاستكشاف عمق المعاني الإيمانية، والتعرف على طرق التعبير الإبداعي عنها من خلال الفكر والحس والإبداع. كما يوفر البينالي منصة فريدة للفنانين لاستكشاف موضوعات تشمل الإيمان والهوية والتقاطعات بين الماضي والحاضر، مع تعزيز الروابط الثقافية والتعريف بالفنون والثقافة الإسلامية على المستوى العالمي