AlUla brings Saudi creativity to Paris

Welcome to AL-MONITOR Riyadh.

As summer draws to a close, Saudi Arabia’s arts calendar is gathering pace, with exhibitions and public commissions unfolding at home and abroad. In Paris, AlUla is staging its first ever cultural season, which includes the exhibition “Life of Forms” featuring the work of Saudi artist and architect Aseel Alamoudi. At Frieze Seoul, Hafez Gallery is presenting works by Egyptian artist Ibrahim El-Dessouki, becoming the first Saudi gallery to participate in the fair. Back in Riyadh, new public art commissions by regional and international artists are further transforming the Saudi capital into an open-air gallery.

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Happy reading,

Rebecca

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Riyadh's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: ‘Life of Forms’ in Paris

Aseel Alamoudi. “Playformation.” 2026, Commissioned and produced by the Royal Commission of AlUla and the French Agency for AlUla Development. (Courtesy of Lorenzo Arrigoni)

Saudi artist and architect Aseel Alamoudi is among the artists featured in “Life of Forms,” an exhibition opening at Lafayette Anticipations during Paris Design Week. The exhibition launches AlUla’s first-ever Cultural Season in Paris. Co-curated by Clement Delepine and Arnaud Morand, it is conceived as both a landscape and a manifesto, exploring the intersection of living matter, inherited craft practices and critical perspectives on industrialization.

“‘Life of Forms’ is not really about opposing art and design, but about what they share: the way a form emerges from a constant negotiation between imagination and reality, material and use, tradition and experimentation,” Arnaud Morand, co-curator of the exhibition and head of Arts - AFALULA, told Al-Monitor. “We wanted to look at forms not as finished objects, but as living things — shaped by the worlds that produce them and capable in turn of reshaping those worlds.”

The featured installations deeply engage with ancestral traditions, ranging from raw earth and stone craftsmanship to palm frond weaving and the heritage of Hijazi perfumery. At its core is a dialogue between design pieces developed through AlUla’s residency programs by artists including Altin Studio, the architecture and design practice Bahraini Danish, Paul Emilieu Marchesseau, Ori Orisun Merhav and Studio ThusThat, among others, alongside works from the Lafayette Anticipations Collection by artists such as Xavier Antin, Meriem Bennani, Katinka Bock, Gaelle Choisne, Matthew Angelo Harrison and Lydia Ourahmane.

AlUla’s Cultural Season will continue through September and October with several events, including a presentation at the IMA Design Prize, an installation by Saudi artist Ayman Zedani at Paris Internationale during Art Basel Paris week, and Villa Hegra’s participation in the Asia Now art fair.

Date: Sept. 8-13

Location: Lafayette Anticipations, Paris

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Kilo Kitchen

An outdoor view of Kilo Kitchen with Bali vibes. (Courtesy of Kilo Kitchen)

There’s nothing quite like eating out in Bali. From beachfront warungs, cliffside lounges, or lush rice paddies, the renowned Indonesian island’s mesmerizing backdrops provide unforgettable experiences. A taste of this vibe can be had in Jeddah at the increasingly popular Kilo Kitchen, an upscale Latin American-meets-Asian restaurant, along the Red Sea city’s coast. Originating in Bali, this slow-paced, atmospheric dining spot focuses on simple, fresh ingredients.

Built for sharing, be sure to try the classic Mexican tacos de lenuga, wasabi tuna tartar, crispy soft shell crabs, slow-cooked beef cheek and ebiko noodles.

Location: Ola Downtown Beach Club, Oia Beach, Jeddah

Find more information here.

3. Riyadh diary

Ibrahim El Dessouki. “The Cotton Flower 4.” Oil on canvas. 30 x 37 cm. (Courtesy the artist and Hafez Gallery)

• Hafez Gallery to present Ibrahim El Dessouki at Frieze Seoul

Hafez Gallery will mark Saudi Arabia’s debut at the fair with a solo booth dedicated to Egyptian artist Ibrahim El Dessouki, bringing together recent paintings from his “Cotton Flower” series alongside earlier works exploring newspaper imagery, architectural elements and portraiture. The presentation traces the continuity and evolution of El Dessouki's practice across history, identity and material experimentation.

“We wanted our presentation to reflect our commitment to Arab art and to bringing significant practices from the region into an international dialogue,” Qaswra Hafez, founder of Hafez Gallery, told Al-Monitor. “Ibrahim El Dessouki was a natural choice. His distinctly Egyptian visual language engages broader questions of history, memory and identity, with an intellectual and formal rigor that speaks to the strength of contemporary Arab art.”

Date: Sept. 2-5

Location: COEX, booth A16, Seoul

Find more information here.

• Riyadh Art extends citywide permanent collection

Riyadh Art is expanding its permanent public art collection with new installations across the Saudi capital and more planned for 2026 and beyond. Launched by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in 2019, the initiative aims to transform Riyadh into an open-air gallery featuring large works of art by Saudi and international artists increasingly incorporated into the fabric of the urban landscape. Recent additions include Alexander Calder’s monumental mobile Janey Waney, Nobuo Sekine’s minimalist Phase of Nothingness, Giuseppe Penone’s In the Balance and Subodh Gupta’s Family Tree.

Location: Across Riyadh

Find more information here.

• Aseer: Europe Village

If you want to escape the heat this month for one last summer getaway, head to Asser, located in the southwestern corner of Saudi Arabia. Among the many attractions available, including the breathtaking verdant natural landscape, is Europe Village, a temporary cultural destination in the heart of Asser featuring colorful architecture akin to local traditional buildings in the region with their colorful facades, restaurants, cafes, shopping, performances and unique local experiences.

Date: Until Aug. 30

Location: Art Street, Abha, Aseer

Find more information here.

4. Book of the week: Frank Gardner

5. View from Riyadh

This picture shows a general view of the Tuwaiq Tower with a mural of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by Saudi artist Bader Al-Balawi, seen on its facade, at the intersection of King Fahd Road and Anas bin Malik Road in Riyadh, on Aug. 20, 2026. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP via Getty Images)

6. By the numbers

• A further 115 new public art installations are planned for Riyadh City through 2026 and beyond, adding to the 75 already installed across the capital as part of Riyadh Art’s expanding collection of public art.
• Launched in 2019, the Riyadh Art initiative has transformed the Saudi capital into a massive open-air gallery with over 500 public art works presented, 6 million visitors and more than 6,000 community engagement activities.