Diriyah Art Futures spotlights decades of innovation with its bold new exhibition in Riyadh
Muhannad Shono, On Losing Meaning V04, 2024. ‘Maknana’ Exhibition 2025. Courtesy of Diriyah Art Futures
At the heart of Saudi Arabia’s UNESCO World Heritage site of Diriyah, a new kind of archaeology is taking place—not with shovels, but with screens, sound, and code. Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the region’s first dedicated New Media Arts hub, has launched ‘Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World’, a landmark exhibition that rewrites the history of Arab art through the lens of technology.
Running until the 19th of July 2025, the show brings together more than 70 artworks by over 40 artists from across the Arab world and its international diasporas. From early video experiments to AI-driven installations, ‘Maknana’ traces how Arab artists have long engaged with the tools of the digital age—not just as mediums of expression, but as vehicles for critique, memory, and resistance.
Co-curated by Haytham Nawar and Ala Younis, the exhibition unfolds in four thematic sections—Automation, Autonomy, Ripples, and Glitch. Each one invites viewers to explore how artists have adopted, repurposed, or subverted new technologies in response to shifting cultural and political landscapes. The Arabic title ‘Maknana’, loosely translated to “automation” or “mechanisation,” underscores this dynamic interplay between man and machine.
A sweeping, regionally rooted, and globally relevant story of artistic innovation emerges. Visitors will encounter works by pioneers such as Samia Halaby (Palestine/USA) and Effat Nagy (Egypt), alongside prominent contemporary voices including Muhannad Shono, Ahmed Mater, Farah Al-Qasimi, Walid Raad, and many others.
“Maknana is about complicating the narrative of New Media Art by centring artists from the Arab world whose practices have often remained peripheral in global discussions,” said co-curator Haytham Nawar. Ala Younis added, “It’s an act of mapping—of connecting histories and practices that have long existed but have rarely been seen together.”
The result is not only visually compelling but politically and culturally charged. Many of the works on view emerge from contexts where access to technology was limited, prompting imaginative and often subversive approaches to creation. These are stories told through glitch, grain, and data corruption—digital artefacts that speak volumes about constraint, agency, and resilience.
DAF celebrated the exhibition opening with a performance by Joe Namy, whose Automobile (2025) used eight muscle cars and booming sound systems to stage a mobile concert in the exhibition courtyard. Namy will also lead a public masterclass later this month, inviting participants to experiment with sound as a transformative medium.
The public programme reflects DAF’s broader mission as an education, experimentation, and exchange centre. Alongside Namy’s workshop, artist Susan Hefuna will lead a session inspired by Glitch Art, where participants explore the creative potential of digital error using only their smartphones.
Founded by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, Diriyah Art Futures is committed to fostering a vibrant ecosystem for New Media and Digital Art in the MENA region. As Advisor Mona Khazindar noted at the launch, ‘Maknana’ is not only a tribute to the past but “a reflection of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to celebrate the Arab world’s pioneering artists while also opening doors to global creative and technological innovators of the future.”
At a moment when digital tools are reshaping how we create, connect, and remember, ‘Maknana’ offers a timely and necessary excavation of Arab art histories. It reminds us that technology has always been more than a medium—it is a language, a battleground, a mirror, and a muse.
“Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World’ runs at Diriyah Art Futures, Riyadh, until the 19th of July 2025. For the complete list of participating artists and upcoming events, visit daf.moc.gov.sa.
