Noor Riyadh: Annual Festival Of Light And Art Ready To Illuminate Saudi Arabia’s Capital City, With 190 Artworks By More Than 130 Local And International Artists

Noor Riyadh, one of the world’s most exciting light and art festivals, opens on Thursday, November 3 with over 190 artworks by more than 130 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world.

Running until November 19, the festival will illuminate Riyadh with immersive site-specific installations, monumental public artworks, ephemeral sculptures, art trails, virtual reality, building projections and drone shows taking place across 40 locations and five hubs in the city.

Noor Riyadh 2022 brings together renowned names in light art, who will present their works alongside a roster of emerging and established local artists, for many of whom light is new to their artistic mediums. Themed ‘We Dream of New Horizons’, which centers on hopefulness for the future, the festival is co-curated by HervéMikaeloff, Dorothy Di Stefano and Jumana Ghouth.

In addition, Noor Riyadh 2022 features a public program with more than 500 activities, including talks, workshops, creative experiences, guided tours, live music concerts, an online charity auction, and more. Expansive and welcoming to all, the program appeals to local communities, from families to artists, to students and professionals, as well as international audiences from across the globe.

Developed with the aim of nurturing local talent and amplifying Saudi Arabia’s cultural economy, Noor Riyadh is part of Riyadh Art, a wider initiative by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. It is an initiative that seeks to transform the Saudi capital into a “gallery without walls”, with more than 1,000 public art installations to be spread out across the city through its 10 programs and two annual events.

Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the opening, Nouf AlMoneef, the Noor Riyadh Project Manager,said: “Noor Riyadh is a shining example of how art and culture can be a force for connection and expression. This edition is bigger and more ambitious than its predecessor, showcasing fascinating pieces of light art from around the world. To see everyone come together to marvel at unique artworks and engage with the festival’s message of hope reflects Saudi Arabia’s aspirations towards transformation and openness.”

MONUMENTAL AND SITE-SPECIFIC ARTWORKS EXHIBITION

The festival features at least 90 new commissions, including new, never-before-seen works by Saudi artists Rashed AlShashai, DaniahAlSaleh, Ayman Zedani, Sarah Brahim, and BasmahFelemban. AlShashai’s monumental piece reflects on climate change, while AlSaleh’s AI-driven video projection draws from popular love songs in the Middle East.

Noor Riyadh will show the breadth of Saudi talent, both emerging and established. Social media star Warchieff, real name Mohammed AlHamdan, ventures into art with his interactive piece Walking Lights, which will add vibrancy to pedestrian movement in Riyadh’s Olaya Street. Meanwhile, MuhannadShono, one of the Kingdom’s most prominent artists, will take over an entire building in Riyadh Malaz, filling it with light, thread and sound to create an immersive experience.

From the international sphere, artists such as Yann Kersalé, Marc Brickman, and artist duo Quiet Ensemble are bringing awe-inspiring artworks that fuse light, technology, sound, and choreography on a massive scale, incorporating interactive elements into their presentations.

Other artworks will inject new creative life into the city’s corporate spaces, exploring how the medium of glass influences visitors’ experience of light-based, immersive and interactive artworks. These include monumental pieces by artists Sabine Marcelis, Daniel Buren and Douglas Gordon.

‘FROM SPARK TO SPIRIT’ EXHIBITION

The festival’s accompanying exhibition entitled ‘From Spark to Spirit’takes place from November 3, 2022 to February 4, 2023 at JAX 03 (JAX District), Riyadh, and is curated by Neville Wakefield (lead curator) and Gaida AlMogren (associate curator).The exhibition traces the role of light as a signal for change, exploring themes such as the ‘Technologies of Light’, ‘Architectonics of Light’ and ‘Consciousness of Light’.

Among the highlights of the exhibition is anonymous artist Norma Jeane’sSelf, a disco-inspired interactive sculpture that responds to the audience’s movement. The work features a musical collaboration with Saudi-based DJ Viva.

Also included are RefikAnadol’sMachine Dreams, a multi-channel installation filled with fantastical visions from generative networks, and Larry Bell’sThe Blue Gate, that allows visitors to experience the interplay of shadow and light within two cubic structures.

LIVE MUSIC, TALKS, WORKSHOPS AND MORE

Noor Riyadh’s comprehensive public program includes an incredible array of live musical acts, with the concerts helping to celebrate the long-standing connection between music and art. Performances are scheduled from the likes of Lebanese singer Dana Hourani,who begins the live music series on November 3, Saudi Arabia’s rising R&B starTamtam, and DesertF!sh, an audio-visual artist who represents his Najdi roots and life on the Red Sea coast.

Discover the festival artworks in-depth through engaging guided tours of the five hubs –King Abdullah Park, Salam Park, Diplomatic Quarter, JAX District, and KAFD. Each tour will delve into the stories behind impressive artworks, including Amplexus by GrimanesaAmorosand Flightgraf’simmersive An Imaginative World.

Workshops are key components of Noor Riyadh, with architecture, illumination, and calligraphy opportunities all on offer. Participants can venture into performance art, experiment with photographic and video techniques, and learn how to make their own camera obscura.

Meanwhile, creative experiences such as artist-led tours, an artistic hunt, and even a four-day collaborative installation activity are also available.

Talks and panel discussions in both Arabic and English will take place throughout the festival, with topics ranging from technology in art, lucid dreaming, meditative practices, and Noor Riyadh’s curatorial themes.

With learning and development for everyone a key cornerstone for Noor Riyadh, a multitude of family activities – such as Rainbows, Magnetic Marvels and We Light Riyadh– encourage creativity and imaginative thinking for children.

ART FOR A CAUSE: ONLINE CHARITY AUCTION

This year, Noor Riyadh’s charity auction brings together four major Saudi artists – Ahmed Mater, MoathAlOfi, Rashed AlShashai, and Saad AlHowede, with four Riyadh-based charities, Aleradah Org, Saudi Alzheimer’s Disease Association, AlNahda, and International Rehabilitation Team. All are working together to produce pieces that will be displayed and eventually put up for auction to benefit the charities’ art programs. The artworks will go on sale through the Saudi-based art market platform Atrum from November 14 – 15.

More information on Noor Riyadh 2022 is available on riyadhart.sa and on the Noor Riyadh app.