In June 2009, Edge of Arabia travelled to Italy for the 53rd Venice Biennale, and was described as ‘the best representation of Middle Eastern art in the Biennale’.

The exhibition, curated by Stephen Stapleton, Abdulnasser Gharem and Ahmed Mater in the celebrated Palazzo Polignac and visited by over 11,000 visitors, created a powerful platform for showcasing Saudi art around the world and paved the way for the first ever Saudi pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale.