Muhannad Shono

Born in Riyadh in 1977, where he lives and works. Shono’s wide-ranging practice includes installation, drawing, and sculpture. With questions about his own roots and identity as a jumping-off point, he critically examines the monolithic structures of history, ideology, and narrative. Focusing on the equivocal relationship between nature and humanity, many of his works are poetic and imbued with a sense of narrative. These works, such as an installation that uses desert sand and wind and one with plants that survive on drainage from urban buildings, dispassionately look at the complex relationship between nature and humanity. He represented Saudi Arabia at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.

Recent major exhibitions include What Remains, Desert X, (Coachella Valley, CA, USA, 2025), Sea Art Festival (Busan, Korea (2023), and the Islamic Arts Biennale (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2023).