Young residents of Riyadh believe the Irqah Hospital’s compound to be haunted, but graffiti artists worldwide have turned it into a canvas. Shift22, the Kingdom’s Visual Arts Commission’s first annual street art festival, celebrates the once-suppressed art.
The festival features commissioned and previously unexhibited graffiti art from over 30 Saudi and international graffiti artists, concentrating on murals, sound and video installations, and unusual sculptures created by recycling materials from the defunct hospital.
“Shift22 is part of the commission’s efforts to honor and nurture local and worldwide visual artists by offering spaces for creative interaction and debate,” said Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission. This event is only one of the many interesting opportunities in the visual arts that have arisen as a result of the expanding local art scene.
In keeping with the tradition of decorating underground and derelict locations with graffiti, the festival is held in the former hospital.
The focus of the outdoor display was geometric patterns in order to reflect the hospital’s architectural style, and it was organized by the New York-based artistic agency Creative Philosophy.
The festival will exhibit works by well-known and up-and-coming artists, like Saudi REXCHOUK and Turkish-American Refik Anadol, in addition to workshops, conferences, and other events showcasing the various aspects of street art.
Along with live music, streetwear stores, street cuisine, breakdancing, and skateboarding, the festival will last through October 30.