Riyadh Art is a public art project in Saudi Arabia. It is one of Riyadh’s four megaprojects launched by King

Salman bin Abdulaziz Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; born 31 December 1935) has been King of Saudi Arabia since 2015, and was Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. He is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He assumed the thron ...

in March 2019, and one of the largest public art projects in the world. It is overseen by the National Megaprojects Committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. The project is one of the initiatives that contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Turning the Saudi Capital into an open-air

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

, Riyadh Art will install more than 1,000 artworks and landmarks created by local and international

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

across the city’s public spaces. Annual art events are bringing additional creative experiences to

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

Project vision

Riyadh Art gives people in the city new

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

artistic Art is a diverse range of culture, cultural activity centered around works of art, ''works'' utilizing Creativity, creative or imagination, imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an express ...

, and recreational experiences that will contribute to the city’s quality of life.

Noor Riyadh

Noor Riyadh is an annual celebration of

light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

, art, and life, with light-based artworks across the city. * The first edition of Noor Riyadh was held from March 18 to April 3, 2021, at King Abdullah Financial District ( KAFD) based on the theme “Under One Sky” with the participation of more than 60 artists from over 20 countries; two of the artworks were of a scale that actually set world records: Beacon and Star in Motion. * The second edition of Noor Riyadh had the theme “We Dream of New Horizons” and took place between November 3 to 19, 2022. It featured 190 artworks at 40 locations – ranging from creative light mediums to light

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. The festival included an art auction at the JAX District in

Diriyah Diriyah (; formerly romanization of Arabic, romanized as Dereyeh and Dariyya) is a towns in Saudi Arabia, town and governorate in Saudi Arabia. Located on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Diriyah was the original home of t ...

, which took place on 14 and 15 November as one of Riyadh Art’s charitable initiatives. This edition of Noor Riyadh featured the world’s largest display of lighting art, including the Pulse of Light by French show designer Martin Arnaud and the light installation The Order of Chaos: Chaos in Order by American artist Marc Brickman. * In November 2023, Noor Riyadh’s third edition had the theme “The Bright Side of the Desert Moon.” Taking place at five main locations across

–

King Abdullah Financial District King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD; ) is a mixed-use financial district located in the al-Aqeeq neighbourhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Managed by the King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company (KAFD DMC), a wholly-owned ...

, JAX District, Salam Park,

Wadi Hanifa Wadi Hanifa (), historically known as Wadi al-Arad, is a ''wadi'' (seasonal river) in the Najd region, Riyadh Province, in central Saudi Arabia. The valley runs for a length of from northwest to southeast, cutting through the city of Riyadh, ...

, and Wadi Namar. More than 100 artists from 35 countries participated, among them 35 Saudi artists. The event showcased 120 artworks, including large-scale installations, immersive projections, drone shows, light reflections on various buildings, and interactive artworks. The event also included an accompanying exhibition titled “Refracted Identities, Shared Futures,” held at the JAX District in

from November 2023 to March 2024, which attracted 32 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world.

Tuwaiq Sculpture

Sculptures are a key expression of art in the public space, and Riyadh Art is supporting the art form through the annual

Tuwaiq Jabal Tuwaiq (, Tuwaiq Mountain) is a narrow escarpment that cuts through the plateau of Najd in central Arabia, running approximately from the southern border of Al-Qasim in the north, to the northern edge of the Rub' al Khali desert near ...

International

Sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Symposium.

First Edition

In March 2019, the first edition of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium was held with 23 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world taking part.

Second Edition

The second edition of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium was held in January 2020 with the participation of 20 artists from

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

and around the world.

Third Edition

The third edition of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium was held in November 2021 under the theme “The Poetics of Space” at Diriyah’s JAX District, gathering 20 artists from 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Fourth Edition

Tuwaiq Sculpture 2023 was launched in January 2023. This fourth edition of the event had the theme “Energy of Harmony” and displayed more than 1,000 artworks across

; the symposium was joined by 30 artists from Saudi Arabia and 20 countries around the world.

Fifth Edition

The fifth edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture was held between 12 and 24 February 2024 under the theme “Dimensions of Movement” and saw the participation of 30 artists representing 20 countries.

References

{{Portal, Saudi Arabia 2019 establishments in Saudi Arabia Annual events in Saudi Arabia Festivals in Saudi Arabia Culture in Riyadh