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What comes to mind when you think of Saudi Arabia? petroleum? war? Or the veiled woman?
In the vast expanse of the desert, what kind of reaction will it be if contemporary art is put into it?
Works by Jim Denevan
Inaugural "Desert X AlUla" production
Recently, the second edition of "Desert X AlUla" opened in the AlUla region of northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the works of 15 contemporary artists are scattered in four gorges in turn, echoing the wild and rough landscape of Arula, realizing the cross-cultural exchange of natural and cultural creative heritage.
The exhibition is free for all, and visitors can also enjoy the spectacular landscape of Arura as they walk between the works.
Located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, the Arula region is often referred to as "a state-sized open-air museum" and an "oasis in the desert" and is home to many of the country's ancient cultural heritage.
The ancient city of Hegra
Arulla is made up of five important landmarks: the most important of which is the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a 52-hectare ancient city of Hegra – a city built by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago, which has placed Arulla at the crossroads of cultural exchange for thousands of years, an important trade hub on the historic Frankincense Route, and the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Dadan.
There are also thousands of ancient Arabic, Dadan, Talmud, Minak and Nabatat inscriptions, and Jabal Ikmahl, the region with the highest concentration and greatest variation of the Language of Saudi Arabia.
As an important cultural monument in the Middle East, the Arula region is little known, and it was not until 2020 that this "cultural oasis" was opened to international tourists, which is one of the last scenic spots in the world to open.
Jabal Ikmah area
Desert X is a unique exhibition of land art combining desert art with desert, founded by a nonprofit charitable organization in Southern California, presented every two years in the Coachella Valley in the United States. Desert X AlUla is the first version of its international expansion.
From the beginning, Desert X has been dedicated to inspiring audiences to take risks, encouraging them to open their hearts as they search for art in the wilderness. This art exhibition held in the desert seems to satisfy people's ultimate imagination of desert, nature and freedom.
Works by Shadia Alem
Works by Shezad Dawood
In the vast and mysterious land of Arura, Desert X AlUla features contemporary art by 15 Saudi and international artists.
The participating artists have lived in the Arura region for a while and have created a series of highly innovative, site-specific works.
Works by Claudia Comte
Themed "Sarab", this year's exhibition explores the concepts of "mirages" and "oases" inherent in desert history and culture. Curatorial consultant Reem Fadda said: "For a long time, the desert mirage and oasis of desolation have been associated with ideas of survival, perseverance, desire and wealth. Oases hint at the quest for prosperity or paradise, while mirages are universal symbols of the mysteries of imagination and reality.
Works by Ayman Zedani
Canadian artist Stephanie Deumer built an underground greenhouse where solar energy is captured, stored, and converted through photosynthesis to be reused.
Stephanie Deumer works
In Serge Attukwei Clottey's The Wishing Well, the gleaming "Golden Waterfall" is made from plastic containers used in Ghana to store water, and the artist responds to high-profile issues such as globalization, migration and water equity.
Serge Attukwei Clottey's Wishing Well
Zeinab AlHashemi's interactive sculptures rework discarded camel skins into an abstract architectural structure that blends into the mountains like camouflaged stones.
Works by Zeinab AlHashemi
Abdullah Alothman cites the principle of refraction of light that originated in desert civilizations and early cultures in an attempt to demonstrate the experience of capturing a mirage.
Works by Abdullah AlOthman
Monika Sosnowska uses traditional railroad tracks from Damascus to Medina to create sculptures, and the artist transforms rigid linear steel structures into giant hay to explore the history and memory of the region.
Works by Monika Sosnowska
Khalil Rabah created a "mirage" of olive groves that stand in the desert, hugging each other but isolated.
Works by Khalil Rabah
It can be seen that although the questions raised by these works are based on the local environment, they are also responses to different issues of concern in the context of globalization, such as identity, environment, borders, and race.
Works by Dana Awartani
Works by Shaikha AlMazrou
Holding such a desert art exhibition located in the depths of the desert and bringing together important international artists is no easy task, and the human, financial and material needs involved behind it are far beyond our imagination.
In fact, Desert X AlUla is supported by the Royal Commission for AlUla, directly led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and they are the "financiers" behind it. He was the mysterious buyer who spent $300 million on the "Château de Louis XIV". Therefore, it is not surprising that such an art exhibition that can enhance the influence of the region cost millions of dollars.
Works by Alicja Kwade
Salman's committee presented Vision 2030, which aims to increase Saudi Arabia's influence across the board. At the level of the National Cultural Strategy, Saudi Arabia outlines three main aspirations: culture as a way of life, culture as an instrument of economic growth, and culture as a mechanism of exchange between cultures.
For the Arura region, the Commission proposed the "Journey Through Time" program, vowing to make the region the world's largest "open-air museum", including five unique areas, five heritage sites, 15 cultural assets and 10 million square meters of green space, ultimately transforming the Arura region into an international tourist destination for art, culture and nature.
Noor Riyadh Festival of Lights
The commission's current known budget for this project is $15 billion, $2 billion has been invested, and another $3.2 billion is used for priority infrastructure construction to be completed in 2023, with the entire program expected to be completed in 2035.
According to this vision, the cultural sector can generate $20 billion in revenue in the future, contribute 3% to its GDP, and create 100,000 jobs.
Renderings of the Arura Regional Centre for Archaeology and Conservation Studies
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