Several brand-new, sizable modern pieces of public art by Saudi and foreign artists were unveiled in Riyadh’s Wadi Hanifa, a vast valley dotted with palm trees and water streams.
The artworks are a part of Noor Riyadh, an annual festival of light and art that includes over 190 pieces created by over 130 Saudi and foreign artists from 40 nations. They are displayed in 40 sites across Riyadh’s five major hubs through November 19th.
In front of “One Thousand Galaxies of Light,” an installation by American/Puerto Rican artist Gisela Colon that is made up of 100 upright, white light tubes that are each 2.5 meters tall, kids played soccer.
Re-theorizing Aristotle’s treatise “De Anima,” the work explores how light animates the soul. It defines the essence of existence by examining five different souls at five other times of the day. Every person is a different kind of light, both literally and figuratively.
In her essay, Brahim also underlines the value of time. Headphones are provided to installation visitors so they can view the images while listening to a soundtrack. I See You Brightest in the Dark, a piece by Saudi artist Muhannad Shono on display in Bayt Al-Malaz, is another highlight of Noor Riyadh.
While using carefully selected stills from movies with subtitles, Saudi-Palestinian artist Ayman Yossri Daydban’s “If God Willing, All Will be Resolved” employs light to paint Arabic lettering.
It draws its inspiration from the commonly used Arabic word “Inshallah,” which means “God willing,” and is written on the building of the abandoned Irqah Hospital. It provides fresh energy to an area now largely devoid of human presence while looking out over the abandoned urban landscape around it.
Unmissable is a literary piece by the Malagasy artist Joel Andrianomearisoa. Neon lights and metal were used in its construction, which was installed in the King Abdullah Financial District. Its message, “On a Never-Ending Horizon, a Future Nostalgia to Keep the Present Alive,” speaks of love, hope, and dreams for the future.
Noor Riyadh is the first project under the aegis of Riyadh Art, the Kingdom’s first public art initiative. It aspires to beautify the city, turn it into a “gallery without walls,” and foster the populace’s creative spirit.
To “eliminate any preconceived notions that modern art is accessible primarily to the elites; we want to make it available to everyone in Riyadh,” Blanco-Carrasco stated as one of its goals.