AL-Monitor Riyadh: Saudi artist Ahmed Mater brings exhibit to Shanghai

Ramadan Kareem. This newsletter, which marks the first week of Ramadan this year, introduces you to the retrospective of Ahmed Mater at Shanghai’s UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, staged in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture’s Visual Arts Commission. We present the first artist residencies staged at NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s futuristic city, exploring what role art will play in the multibillion-dollar metropolis being dubbed “the land of the future.” We also present new contemporary public art in Riyadh’s new metro, as well as the Middle East’s first luxury train — Dream of the Desert Saudi Arabia — which is due to launch in 2026.

Leading the week: “Ahmed Mater: Antenna” in Shanghai

Saudi artist Ahmed Mater will present his major retrospective exhibition, "Antenna," at Shanghai's UCCA Edge, part of the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, which is China’s leading contemporary art institution. The comprehensive exhibition will survey the artistic journey of the renowned Saudi artist, featuring over 100 artworks spanning his career.

One of Saudi Arabia’s most renowned cultural voices, Mater has been documenting the kingdom’s collective memory and sociocultural landscape for decades. His art explores Saudi Arabia’s heritage, faith and modernization. A former physician-turned-artist originally from Abha, the capital of Aseer province, Mater uses photography, film, sculpture and performance to document and analyze the changes around him.

“Antenna,” the name of the exhibition, refers to Mater’s first neon device made in 2010 — a ubiquitous home appliance that transmits information just like “antennas” atop buildings. In many ways, “Antenna” refers to the search for new ideas, information and change that Mater witnessed in Saudi Arabia while growing up. He describes the “Antenna” series on his website as follows: “A boy stands on the flat, dusty rooftop of his family’s traditional house in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia. With all his reach, he lifts a battered TV antenna up to the evening sky. He is searching, like so many of his generation in the kingdom, for ideas, for music, for poetry — for a glimpse of a different kind of life.”

This year, 2025, marks the Saudi Chinese Cultural Year. In commemoration of the occasion, the Saudi Visual Arts Commission, one of 11 commissions under the Ministry of Culture, has organized Mater’s retrospective with UCCA, introducing the Chinese public to aspects of the Saudi contemporary art scene.

Date: March 8 - June 8

Location: UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Shanghai

Find more information here.

Word on the street: Kuuru

A ceviche at Kuuru. (Courtesy of Kuuru)

If you’re craving a succulent mix of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine, or Nikkei, then this homegrown restaurant in Riyadh is the place for you. This has been dubbed Riyadh’s most stylish Nikkei spot. Already a successful eatery in Jeddah, a branch opened in KAFD in early 2024 — a prime location in the capital’s glitzy financial center. The Riyadh restaurant incorporates the same Japanese satai (food stalls) as the Jeddah branch as well as Inca Peruvian decor. Of note, however, is the Nikkei bar where you can immerse yourself in the Kuuru experience. Be sure to try the Kuuru ceviche, which includes local najel, smoked corn, sweet potato, cilantro and Nikkei leche de tigre sauce. Also try the Nikkei-style nigiri and the concha trufada with scallop, white truffle oil, scallop butter and lime, among the many other mouthwatering dishes.

Location: KAFD

Find more information here.

Riyadh diary

Alexander Calder in the newly opened Riyadh Metro. (Courtesy of Riyadh Art)

Art in Transit: Take a late-night journey on the Riyadh Metro and check out the art

Riyadh public transport has extended operating hours for the Riyadh Metro during the holy month. During Ramadan, the Riyadh Metro will run until 2 a.m. every day except Friday. On Friday, it runs even later — from 12 noon until 3 a.m. The Riyadh Metro opened its doors to the public on Dec. 1, 2024. The metro serves commuters on three of its six lines: the Blue Line (Al Olaya to Al Batha), the Yellow Line (King Khalid International Airport Road) and the Purple Line (Abdulrahman bin Aauf Street–Sheikh Hassan bin Hussain bin Ali Road). 

What’s more is the incredible artwork on display, which integrates public art into daily life through the metro. The art has been brought to the metro by Riyadh Art, dubbed the world’s largest public art program. At King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, see Alexander Calder’s bold kinetic sculpture “Janey Waney” and Robert Indiana’s “LOVE (Red Outside Blue Inside).” At Qasr Al Hokm Downtown Metro Station, designed by Snohetta, Ugo Rondinone’s “The Sun” radiates energy, while Zaman Jassim’s “When the Moon Is Full” poetically reflects Riyadh’s heritage.

Location: Varies

Find more information here.

NEOM launches artist in residence program

What does a multibillion-dollar city plan to do with art? NEOM’s inaugural artist residency explored art’s role in building a futuristic city. Designed in collaboration with Dubai-based Alserkal Advisory, the program brought together four Saudi artists, including Abdulmohsen AlBinAli, Ahaad Alamoudi, Bilal Allaf and Ayman Zedani, with four international artists, including Giulia Bruno from Italy, Eduardo Cassina from Spain, Liva Dudareva from Latvia and Lebanese Tamara Kalo. The first phase of the three-month residency began in September 2024, when the artists traveled to NEOM to learn about the region and the project. They then traveled to the Madrid-based foundation TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary for the second phase of the project, where they were encouraged to reflect on their experiences at NEOM. The residency culminated in a series of community programs and an exhibition that engaged with the residents of NEOM in late November 2024.

Find more information here.

Saudi Arabia unveils luxury desert train: Dream of the Desert

An interior rendering of the Dream of the Desert Train slated to launch in 2026. (Courtesy of Spa)

Get ready to jet around the Arab world’s largest country in a high-end, ultra-lavish, high-speed train. This is a rendition of the Orient Express, but Saudi style — and it is due to launch in 2026. The train will traverse the country’s mesmerizing desert landscapes along a 1,300-kilometer route that uses existing railway lines. It will depart from Riyadh and travel north to Al Qurayyat near the Jordanian border. The train is a joint project between Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) and Arsenale S.p.A., the Italian luxury brand, and is being designed by Aline Asmar d’Amman, an architect and designer whose Culture in Architecture studio is based between Paris and Beirut. The train is set to be the region’s first five-star luxury train.

Find more information here.

Book of the week: “Islamic Mystical Poetry"

In light of the holy month of Ramadan, this book highlights the poems of various Sufi mystics writing from the ninth to the 20th century and representing the peak of Islamic mystical writing. They include such poets as Rabia Basri and Mian Mohammad Baksh and explore attempts to attain union with God and the Divine as well as private devotional love. Many poems in this compilation are filled with metaphors and symbolism, while others capture the struggle of a poet to free himself from the pain of earthly love. The book is accompanied by an introduction to Sufism.

View from Riyadh

A woman walks on a street in Khobar. (Courtesy of Sarah Al-Moqbel)

Saudi female photographer Sarah Al-Moqbel has made waves in the kingdom for her blending of past and present with an eye on the future, in her mesmerizing photography largely focused on street art. Predominantly working in the Eastern Province, she captures a variety of vintage car models, traditional neighborhoods in Khobar city, and men and women on the street, blending the everyday with a touch of fashion.

Find more information here.

By the numbers

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coastlines stretch 2,480 kilometers (1,541 miles) from west to east.
• The Empty Quarter Desert, roughly the size of France, encompasses most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, covering an area over 650,000 square kilometers.
• There are 7,790 named mountains in Saudi Arabia, with Jabal Sawda at 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) being the highest summit.