Artist James Turrell will launch a brand new exhibition within the AlUla space of Saudi Arabia this month, paving the way in which for a everlasting site-specific fee within the historic northwest heritage area of the dominion described as a “dwelling museum”.
The Turrell exhibition (16 January-19 April) is a part of the annual AlUla Arts Competition which is overseen by the Royal Fee for AlUla, the Saudi authorities cultural physique led by the nation’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Highlights of the present embrace renders, plans, and a constellation map for the artist’s upcoming site-specific fee in Wadi AlFann (Valley of the Arts). The US artist will even present a Cross Nook projection, comprising a glowing dice floating within the nook of a room, and a glasswork from the Royal Fee for AlUla’s up to date artwork assortment.
Wadi Al Fann is described in a undertaking assertion as “a 65-square-kilometre world cultural vacation spot for up to date land artwork the place works by worldwide artists are being completely put in within the panorama of AlUla”.
Turrell is likely one of the first 5 artists creating new, large-scale, site-specific commissions for Wadi AlFann, alongside Manal AlDowayan, Agnes Denes, Michael Heizer, and Ahmed Mater. These preliminary 5 works are attributable to be “unveiled from 2026”, says a spokesperson. The commissions might be overseen by Iwona Blazwick, the previous director of Whitechapel Gallery in London, in her function as lead curator (Royal Fee for AlUla).
“At Wadi AlFann, Turrell will construct upon the sensorial expertise of house, color and notion, making a collection of areas inside the canyon flooring,” says a press release. Mater will generate a mirage inside the sand dunes for his work Ashab Al-Lal whereas Denes will proceed her ongoing collection of monumental pyramids launched within the Nineteen Sixties. AlDowayan’s labyrinthine set up Oasis of Tales in the meantime is impressed by the mud partitions of AlUla’s Previous City.
A site-specific commissioned efficiency Thikra: Night time of Remembering (25-27 January) devised by the UK choreographer Akram Khan and Manal AlDowayan, who represented Saudi Arabia on the sixtieth Worldwide Venice Biennale final yr, will even kind a part of the AlUla Arts Competition. The efficiency will characteristic 14 worldwide dancers, an authentic music rating by the composer Aditya Prakash and costumes and set by AlDowayan.
The cultural rebranding and redevelopment of the notoriously orthodox kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues apace. Final month the UK authorities introduced a tradition partnership cope with Saudi Arabia whereby UK conservation and heritage specialists will assist to preserve cultural landmarks within the Center Japanese nation.
The transfer signifies the UK’s willingness to strengthen ties following France’s deepening partnership with Saudi Arabia over the previous decade. Each international locations signed a bilateral settlement in 2018, hailed as “historic” by the Saudi media, which focuses on a proposed community of future museums and archaeological websites round a museum of Arabic civilisation on the metropolis of AlUla.
