Sharjah Heritage Area. (Courtesy Sharjah Art Foundation)

The Sharjah Art Foundation in the United Arab Emirates has announced some of the line-up for Sharjah Biennial 11, which will take place March 13–May 13, 2013.

Yuko Hasegawa, the biennial's curator, has released a selection of the participating artists: Saadane Afif, Yang Fudong, Studio Mumbai, Kazuyo Sejima, and Wael Shawky. Ms. Hasegawa, who is the chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, said she "was inspired by the metaphor of the courtyard in Islamic architecture, where elements of both public and private life co-exist," according to a press release.

In a statement, she said:

“I will invite a selection of Indian, Lebanese, Belgian, Japanese, and Spanish architects to help envision a new urban structure that connects the historic area and its courtyard typology with the larger city. Within these new and traditional structures a broad range of artists will be invited to create works that will offer new experiences to be shared. Here the courtyard becomes more than a ‘place’—it becomes a ‘condition’ where culture is nourished and true knowledge is formed.”