Riyadh Art

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Riyadh Art is one of the largest public art programs in the world and was launched under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz; under the leadership and supervision of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. The program aims at transforming the city of Riyadh into an open art exhibition that blends traditional and contemporary aspects, enriching cultural life in the society, unleashing artistic expression and stimulating the city’s creative economy.

Core elements of the program

Artworks, ceremonies, and art exhibitions.
Enable national and global talents.
The program includes the execution of 1,000 artworks, jointly carried out by local and international artists, and distributed throughout the capital.
The program enhances the quality of life for residents and visitors of the city.
The Riyadh Art Program aims to transform the city into an open art exhibition that blends authenticity and contemporary features.
It aims to transform Riyadh into an incubator of creative art and a destination for artists, specialists and interested people from all over the world.
The program promotes community values, cultural interaction, knowledge exchange, and creative collaboration in society.
The program includes 10 projects covering all parts of the city, with its main elements and components. Including annual events such as the Noor Riyadh Festival and the Tuwaiq Sculpture Forum.

Program Outcomes

The Riyadh Art program transforms Riyadh into an incubator of creative art and a forum for artists, specialists, and art lovers from all over the world.
The program opens new horizons for a creative movement in Riyadh.
The program offers a unique opportunity for local and international artists to bring their creations to the residents and visitors of the city.
The program promotes community values, cultural interaction, knowledge exchange, and creative collaboration in society.
It stimulates the city’s tourist and leisure movement.

Riyadh Art

Noor Riyadh Festival

A global annual celebration of light and art that promotes creativity, supports talent, and stimulates the Kingdom’s creative economy. The festival offers amazing experiences in multiple locations across the capital, and it is considered the world’s largest light art festival.

During the two versions, Noor Riyadh was awarded eight Guinness World Records, as follows:

2021: “Star in Motion” the world’s brightest suspended ornament
2021: “Beacon” the world’s largest LED work, comprising 272,160 LEDs
2022: The largest light art festival in the world
2022: The largest number of drones participated in a creative art show
2022: The largest light laser show (in a covered area)
2022: The longest distance covered by light laser show
2022: The largest mesh screen on a building
2022: The highest mesh screen on a building

Tuwaiq Sculpture Forum

Tuwaiq Sculpture Forum is an important annual event in the world art scene. In Riyadh, the Kingdom’s leading sculpture artists and artists from various countries meet to present creative artworks in a live show. Tuwaiq Sculpture Forum contributes to the creation of a community platform that promotes cultural exchange through an interactive program containing workshops, talk sessions, school visits, and live sculpture tours.

The final sculptures created during the Tuwaiq Sculpture Forum will become part of Riyadh’s artistic map and will be published in key locations in various areas of the capital to enrich the daily lives of its residents and visitors.

Art in Transit Project

The project integrates public art with the fabric of pedestrian pathways and bridges throughout the city, encouraging residents to explore the city and experience art from a new perspective that promotes a qualitative shift in the capital from dependence on private vehicles to public transport, encouraging pedestrians and cyclists to take to the streets and use the Riyadh train to navigate the creative city.

A series of huge art gates are erected on the main roads leading to Riyadh and its entrances; to reflect the city’s cultural atmosphere, representing the spirit of the city that blends art, architecture, and creativity as essential components of a vibrant cosmopolitan city in a framework of fruitful cooperation between international architecture firms and local artists.

Riyadh Gates Project

Jewels Project

The project transforms the capital into an open art gallery of contemporary public art in collaboration with elite artists, featuring 24 permanent artworks that embody the power of contemporary sculpture to transform urban spaces.

Artworks are designed in harmony with each location to improve the quality of public spaces in Riyadh and celebrate the city’s heritage and culture.

Joyous Gardens Project

It includes urban elements spread across Riyadh’s parks, transforming green spaces into vibrant, inspirational, and educational destinations that stimulate creativity.

The project has spaces that provide a healthy environment and a civilized and vibrant life for the residents of Riyadh. The project’s playgrounds feature artistic designs that reinvent traditional gameplay elements.

Art Spaces Project

The project includes more than four pavilions with interactive artworks in eight different locations. Each pavilion will include one digital artwork and a cultural program. It will be a combination of a production workshop supported by an exhibition and an artists’ studio, along with open classrooms, office units, and lecture spaces.

Art Parks Project

The Art Parks project is an artistic icon that reflects the spirit of the twenty-first century, inviting city residents to reflect on the concepts of art and technology. It promotes environmental engagement and supports efforts to create an environment for contemporary interactive arts outside the walls of museums, where everyone can enjoy it permanently or during seasons as part of a broader creative experience.

Art Stations Project

Artworks are located at Riyadh train stations and Riyadh buses to integrate elements of public art with the fabric of the city’s public transport network and the capital’s infrastructure. The project aims to create an aesthetic and distinctive atmosphere at the target stations through public works and art formations that ensure enjoyable experiences for passengers.

Riyadh Landmark Project

A distinctive landmark of the city of Riyadh and an aesthetic icon that embodies the city’s ambitions during the 21st century. This global landmark reflects the cultural aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030 and symbolizes a new era in which the capital is embarking on more creativity, artistic movement, self-expression, and inclusive culture.

Art Fields Project

It includes public artworks distributed in main squares, and bridges throughout the city to provide an enjoyable daily commuting experience. The project presents a huge series of distinctive art collections designed to support the traffic guidance of pedestrians while they roam in the city of Riyadh. The program aims to integrate artworks into the city’s infrastructure system to provide an enjoyable daily commuting experience for residents and visitors.

Arts Valley Project

Artistic pathways that invite exploration of the city and its valleys and encourage outdoor activities to promote healthy lifestyles. The project seeks to create artistic paths that extend across the valleys scattered around the city by taking advantage of the permanent sculptures created by Tuwaiq’s artists. The project aims to engage residents and visitors and achieve Integration between the various elements of the Riyadh Art program. The Art Valley project provides opportunities to rediscover natural areas in Riyadh with a different perspective to enjoy outdoor life and encourages everyone to explore the city.

Bridges of Arts Valley

The project aims to attract designers and artists to decorate the main bridges throughout the city with the latest light art techniques. It aims to highlight people’s artistic creations and create a social and emotional bond between the residents and their city; to provide a more distinctive and vibrant experience for all.