Lovers of contemporary art in the Middle East have a lot to choose from this November. The region's three biennials are ongoing, and new exhibitions, with a strong dose of photography, are set to open.

Biennials: The 3rd Jerusalem Biennial continues until Nov. 16, with more than a dozen exhibitions around the city. One of them, “Dreamland Never Found,” curated by Maria Wates, brings together artists born in the former Soviet Union who present interpretations, through paintings and photographs, of the new waves of immigration to Israel driven by recent political and economic events in the post-Soviet territories.

The clock is ticking for a chance to see the 15th Istanbul Biennial and satellite exhibits and activities. The doors close Nov. 12. It is worth exploring the least-known venue of this large art event — “Proposal for a House Museum of an Unknown Crying Man,” a work by the Egyptian artist Mahmoud Khaled at Ark Kultur. The installation — based on a police raid on the Queen Boat, a floating disco on the Nile, and the subsequent arrests and trials of 52 gay men in 2001 — offers strong criticism of anti-gay policies and attitudes in Egypt and the rest of the region.

The Beirut component of the 13th Sharjah Biennial continues at the Sursock Museum, with the exhibition “Fruit of Sleep,” curated by Reem Fadda. The exhibit defines dormancy as the act of plotting after failed attempts of a revolution. The show wraps up at the end of the year.