Next month, the second iteration of a festival bringing together more than 100 Saudi and foreign contemporary artists will transform Riyadh into a refuge for cultural enthusiasts.
The “We Dream of New Horizons” theme for the Noor Riyadh Festival, which runs from Nov. 3 to 19, will feature artwork from more than 40 nations and more than 100 artists, with a third of them coming from the Kingdom.
With at least 40 sites and more than 500 activities, including artistic and cultural seminars, and expert courses that can be attended in person or electronically, this year’s festival will be three times greater than previous occasions.
Additionally, there will be a complementary exhibition in Diriyah’s JAX District from November 3 through February 4 that will take guests on a creative journey through the past, present, and future of light transformation.
The goal of Noor Riyadh 2022, one of the four key initiatives King Salman established in 2019 and oversaw by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is to turn Riyadh into an open-air museum of contemporary and traditional art.
As the chairman of the steering committee for the Riyadh Art program and a board member of the Royal Commission for Riyadh, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan stated that Noor Riyadh aimed to foster creativity, embrace local and global talent, and provide opportunities for Saudi artists to exhibit their work.
The tagline of Noor Riyadh, the prince observed, represented faith in the Kingdom’s rebirth and change and conveyed positivism and hope.
A team of regional and international curators, including Dorothy Di Stefano, Irvi Mikhailov, and Jumana Al-Ghouth, together with Neville Wakefield, the curator of the companion exhibitions, and assistant curator Ghaida Al-Muqrin, will oversee this year’s festival.