Saudi Arabia launches global art dialogues

Welcome to Al-Monitor Riyadh.

This week, we spotlight the Saudi Visual Arts Commission’s launch of Art & Ideas (Dialogues in Contemporary Art), a series of public dialogues in Seoul, Paris and Riyadh meant to encourage cross-cultural dialogue and innovation in the arts; Table To, an inventive new eatery in Riyadh with cleverly named dishes; the opening of an exhibition that looks at art produced by Arab artists during the coronavirus pandemic; and an interactive mobile exhibition displaying artifacts from 11 Saudi museums.

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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: Art & Ideas

A panel discussion during the inaugural Riyadh Art Week in April 2025. (Courtesy of the Saudi Visual Arts Commission)

Saudi Arabia's Visual Arts Commission is launching Art & Ideas (Dialogues in Contemporary Art), a series of live discussions around the world to reaffirm its commitment to fostering dialogue, collaboration and innovation in the visual arts. The first session kicks off during the Frieze Seoul international art fair on Sept. 5, gathering speakers from Saudi Arabia and South Korea for two public dialogues exploring the forces driving both cities as rising visionary culture capitals. Both sessions will focus on establishing creative economies through global, cross-cultural dialogue, with critical input from artists, curators and thought leaders.

“We envision Art & Ideas as a platform to engage practitioners from Saudi Arabia with different cultures through these talks, fostering opportunities for discovery, curiosity and creativity exchange,” said Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission, in the opening press release. “We are committed to connecting the visual arts professionals of the kingdom to their peers around the world as part of our mission to promote dialogue and build a sustainable arts community.”

Art & Ideas will then take place in Paris on Oct. 21 during this year’s edition of Asia NOW, which has adopted the theme My East is Your West. The initiative will culminate in Riyadh on Nov. 7-8 with a flagship two-day symposium, which will map the intellectual landscape of the region’s visual arts through several major panels, addressing urgent topics such as Art & Ideas in Saudi art history, technology, contemporary thought, education, and grassroots innovation.

Date: Starting Sept. 5

Location: Seoul, Paris, Riyadh

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Table;To

A bold, inventive dish at the new Table;To in Riyadh. (Courtesy of Table;To)

Among the Saudi capital’s most popular new restaurants, this captivating new eatery located in Al Takhassousi features dim lighting, wooden accents and dark green tables, offering an alluring and intimate place to dine and gather with friends and family. Clever dish titles fusing various cuisines are both eye-catching and captivating. There’s lots of sharing to start with — from hot clay pots dishes, burgers, robata grills and wood oven specialties. Be sure to try the Crispy Hasawi Rice and Wagyu Asian Beef Shawarma Taco for starters, or try a dish with a playful name, such as Funk with its 48-hour marinated chicken, and OMG with delicious avocado and cheese. The burger selection is mouth-watering. Choose from the Hasawi Bread Bao Short Ribs, Wagyu Beef Katsu and Nashville Chicken. The list of inventive culinary dishes goes on, and you can see why this is one of the most popular eateries in town at this time.

Location: Al Takhassousi District, Riyadh

Find more information here.

3. Riyadh diary

Abed Al Kadiri at the opening of “Cities Under Quarantine” at SAMoCA, Riyadh. (Courtesy of SAMoCA)

• ’Cities Under Quarantine: The Mailbox Project’ at the Saudi Museum of Contemporary Art

The traveling exhibition “Cities Under Quarantine: The Mailbox Project,” organized by the Museums Commission and curated by artist Abed Al Kadiri, recently opened at the Saudi Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) in Riyadh, after debuting at Villa Romana in Florence and later at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha. Riyadh is the project's third stop.

On view is a series of artist books created by Arab artists during the COVID-19 pandemic that capture the deep sense of global isolation that reshaped daily life during the spring of 2020. Visitors encounter intimate testimonies that merge artwork with writings and personal reflections, recalling an extraordinary period in human history that redefined human connection. 

Date: Aug. 28 - Sept. 28

Location: SAMoCA, Jax District, Diriyah, Riyadh

Find more information here.

• ‘Our Saudi Story: A Window into Museums’

The Saudi Museums Commission has launched the first phase of a mobile interactive exhibition described as the first of its kind in the kingdom, to showcase the collections of 11 regional Saudi museums through modern technology. The exhibition began its tour in Buraidah, in the Qassim Region of central northern Saudi Arabia, coinciding with the Buraidah Dates Carnival. It offers visitors an immersive experience of important Saudi cultural heritage through unconventional sensory, visual and auditory elements. 

The exhibition opened with a showcase of 11 selected artifacts from Saudi museums, digitally reimagined and presented using motion design technologies and sound effects in an interactive space that allows visitors to engage directly with Saudi national heritage.

Date: Until Sept. 13

Location: Traveling exhibition

Find more information here.

• Noor Riyadh to return to illuminate Saudi capital

Noor Riyadh, the citywide public art initiative of interactive light artworks, has announced it will return to the Saudi capital for its fifth edition this season. The light art festival will present over 60 light installations under the theme In the Blink of an Eye, inspired by the Saudi capital’s rapid transformation since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016. Noor Riyadh is part of Riyadh Art, one of four megaprojects in the capital launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of the Vision 2030 plan to transform the Gulf nation.

Date: Nov. 20 to Dec. 6

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Find more information here.

4. Book of the week: ‘Maker of Modern Arabia’

In this book, author Ameen Rihani chronicles the life and successes of King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia. The book, published in 2007, sheds light on the political and social landscapes in Arabia during the early 20th century and how Abdulaziz overcame his tribal adversaries in the Arabian Peninsula. The book also looks at the more personal aspects of Abdulaziz, his wives, advisers, his relationship with his family, his lasting influence on modern Arabia as well as his relationships with foreign statesmen to establish diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.

5. View from Riyadh

Ahaad Alamoudi’s “Ghosts of Today and Tomorrow” installation for Noor Riyadh, 2022. (Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph courtesy of Noor Riyadh 2022)

A view of a light art installation by Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi titled “Ghosts of Today and Tomorrow” staged during Noor Riyadh in 2022 uses two ancient pigeon towers to showcase the historical use of pigeons as message bearers.

Noor Riyadh, now in its fifth edition this year, is a citywide festival that aims to not only beautify the Saudi capital but encourage a reflection on Arabian heritage, the urban landscape of Riyadh and contemporary technology and innovation.

6. By the numbers

• Saudi Arabia has launched its first residential mortgage-backed securities on Aug. 25 to boost liquidity and encourage more lending to drive the kingdom’s economic transformation program.
• Saudi banks may transfer as much as $48 billion in legacy mortgages to Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC) by 2030, unlocking liquidity and enabling almost $23 billion in securitizations, Bloomberg reported.