Riyadh light festival to nurture Saudi local artists

Xinhua

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Noor Riyadh, an annual light festival to exhibit illuminative artworks across the Saudi capital, will help discover and nurture local talents and artists, said an official at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).

Hosam Alqurashi, adviser with the RCRC, told Xinhua in a recent interview that the Noor Riyadh festival is part of the larger Riyadh Art project that aims to turn the city into an open gallery without walls and build a creative economy in the kingdom.

Running until April 3, the festival features an interactive show with outdoor installations, sculptures, workshops, cinematic shows and educational talks, with the participation of over 60 international and Saudi artists.

About 40 percent of them are Saudi artists, Alqurashi said, discovering, nurturing and turning them into international artists will allow Saudi Arabia to export art to the rest of the world and not just to consume it.

Speaking of the importance of the festival, Alqurashi said that Noor Riyadh's 2021 theme, Under One Sky, expresses hope and brings people together as social distance keeps everyone apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Art is universal language that everyone loves and appreciates, he added.

The citywide festival inaugurated its first edition on March 18. For 17 days, the city of Riyadh has been transformed into an open-air art gallery with more than 30 light installations.

People visit a light exhibition during Noor Riyadh light festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 21, 2021. Noor Riyadh, an annual light festival to exhibit illuminative artworks across the Saudi capital, will help discover and nurture local talents and artists, said an official at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC). Running until April 3, the festival features an interactive show with outdoor installations, sculptures, workshops, cinematic shows and educational talks, with the participation of over 60 artists. (Riyadh Art/Handout via Xinhua)

The festival of light and art is the first program launched by Riyadh Art, one of four mega projects inaugurated by Saudi King Salman in 2019 as an initiative to promote culture and art in the kingdom.

Making the city more beautiful, Riyadh Art also aims to build a creative economy in the country, which brings investment, sponsorship of different sectors that are interested in art, and job opportunities, Alqurashi said, adding that there are 12 programs listed in Riyadh Art project which will come in phases.

In another bid to promote Saudi arts scene, the Ad-Diriyah Biennale Foundation has announced on Monday the theme for Saudi Arabia's first contemporary art biennale titled Feeling the Stones which is inspired by the idea of crossing the river by feeling the stones, a slogan that emerged during the 1980s as a metaphor for action at a time of social and economic transformation.

Set to open from Dec. 7, 2021 to March 7, 2022, the biennale, featuring over 70 international and Saudi artists, will take place in Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state and home to one of the kingdom's ambitious heritage developments.

Philip Tinari, director and chief executive of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, China and curator of the biennale, expressed hope that this exhibition will expose new generations of viewers to global contemporary art, not just as a mode of visual expression but as a space for critical thinking.

Visitors are seen at a light exhibition during Noor Riyadh light festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 21, 2021. Noor Riyadh, an annual light festival to exhibit illuminative artworks across the Saudi capital, will help discover and nurture local talents and artists, said an official at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC). Running until April 3, the festival features an interactive show with outdoor installations, sculptures, workshops, cinematic shows and educational talks, with the participation of over 60 artists. (Riyadh Art/Handout via Xinhua)

The art scene in Saudi Arabia finds itself at a crucial juncture, and art has an important role to play in reflecting on key issues of the moment, Tinari noted.

The biennale is one of many new platforms that will make Saudi art accessible, providing Saudi artists the opportunity to showcase their works to local and global audiences, a statement by the Ministry of Culture said on Monday.

To support the ministry's efforts to develop the cultural sector and enhance creative knowledge and education, the Saudi Cabinet on Thursday approved the establishment of the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, signifying a major step forward in the development of the kingdom's culture and art industry.

The institute will help develop an advanced cultural ecosystem and enable talented Saudis to pursue successful careers in a thriving and competitive private sector, while driving demand for their products at home and abroad, the statement added.