The opening of one of AlUla’s first permanent cultural treasures has taken place. The Royal Commission for AlUla’s Design Gallery is a magnificent, Corten-steel-fronted structure with subtle, geometric incisions that imitate the pattern of the local concrete breeze blocks. Athr Gallery AlUla, a branch of the Jeddah art space, is also housed there.
Gioforma, Black Engineering, and the RCU Design Team conceptualized the 500-square-meter structure, which is located on the main drag of AlJadidah, a newly rebuilt district near to the Old Town and a few kilometers from the Hegra heritage site.
The road in AlJadidah, which used to be open to cars, has been pedestrianized, and kiosks now sell thick, copper-colored fur and embroidered abayas, as well as the omnipresent evil-eye souvenir, to a mix of tourists and locals. Restaurants selling shawarmas and fries are festooned with strings of gigantic fairy lights, and the neighborhood exudes a sense of expectancy as guests arrive in droves.
Both galleries claim that they are equally focused on tourists and the local community. The Design Gallery provides a location for residents and tourists to participate in workshops and classes, as well as hold exhibitions.
Athr Gallery AlUla will present its artists as well as other collaborations in its area. It debuted in March with a show featuring Ahaad Alamoudi, Sara Abdu, and Mohammad Al Faraj’s art.
The displays will be ticketed and will last for five months. Local artists will be paired with immersive technology collectives and engineers such as Superblue, James Turrell, Random International , and TeamLab, which is also working on a permanent venue in Jeddah with the Ministry of Culture. Its opening date is yet to be determined.