Venice – September 4, 2026
Pallazzio Donà dalle Rose in Venice hosted a cocktail reception yesterday to mark the opening of an art exhibition titled “Shalimar Harmony,” featuring internationally acclaimed Saudi visual artist Shalimar Sharbatly alongside artists Devy Man and Rosa Mundi. The event coincides with the launch of the Contemporary Art Exhibition held alongside the 61st International Art Biennale of Venice.
The reception drew a notable gathering of figures from the art, media, and economic sectors, including renowned Egyptian filmmaker and husband of Shalimar Sharbatly Khaled Youssef, Saudi radio director Soha Riri, economic expert Khadija Nahfawi, and bloggers Sultan Qasim and Abdulaziz Al Sultan.
Sharbatly’s participation in the Contemporary Art Exhibition continues from September 3rd to the 18th, where she presents 15 artworks alongside a new sculptural piece. The sculpture marks the first presentation of her sculptural model within her new artistic project, “Shalezm,” which she is developing in parallel with her established Moving Art practice.
Sharbatly’s participation forms part of an event bringing together contemporary art, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and live music, with artists from various countries taking part. The program explores artistic practices that reflect the growing intersection between art and technology, as well as the transformations taking place in the global art scene in terms of creative tools and presentation methods.
Sharbatly said that her participation in the Venice Biennale represents an important milestone in her artistic career, describing it as a “historic participation and an important qualitative shift.” She noted that presenting her new sculpture in Venice marks the beginning of a different phase in her artistic journey, one centered on continued research and experimentation.
“My participation in Venice was extremely important to me. It represents a historic milestone in my artistic career and a qualitative shift in my practice, particularly with the presentation of the new sculptural work, which marks the beginning of a different phase of research and experimentation,” she said.
She added that her move into sculptures is an extension of a long process of artistic research and experimentation that has been closely associated with her Moving Art practice. According to Sharbatly, an artist should not remain confined to a single artistic style but should continue searching for new tools and spaces for creative expression.
She explained that “Shalezm” represents a new direction in her artistic practice, through which she seeks to develop a vision centered on the interaction of form, mass, space, and movement, creating a distinct visual language that grows out of her previous experience in Moving Art and extends into sculpture. The new sculptural work attracted considerable attention from visitors, who paused to examine its details and artistic concept, while also engaging with the paintings on display. The work provided audiences with an opportunity to discover a new dimension of Sharbatly’s artistic practice.
In a related development, Sharbatly received invitations from the Biennale’s administration to participate in several upcoming exhibitions and artistic events in Italy, Albania, and Austria, including an invitation to participate in the Albania Biennale, scheduled to take place in December 2026. She also received an invitation from the Italian side to create an artwork consisting of a painting on an Italian gondola, which would subsequently be displayed in a heritage museum in Italy. The proposed project would offer an opportunity to apply her Moving Art practice to one of Italy’s most recognizable cultural and heritage symbols.
Among the opportunities presented to the artist during her participation in the Venice events were proposals for artistic collaborations with several Italian companies specializing in leather products, including the possibility of creating artworks on their products as part of initiatives combining art, design, and the creative industries. These invitations come as Sharbatly continues to develop “Shalezm,” a new artistic path alongside her Moving Art practice, while maintaining her presence across international exhibitions and art events.
Sharbatly emphasized that her participation in Venice also represents an opportunity to strengthen the presence of Saudi artistic experiences on the international stage, highlighting the capabilities of Saudi artists and their ability to explore diverse artistic practices while engaging with new fields, approaches, and forms of expression.
