Blending regional heritage with cutting-edge technology, Editor Suzette Bell-Roberts explores how Diriyah Art Futures positions Saudi Arabia as a global leader in innovation and cultural exchange.
Leonel Moura, Arabia series, 2021. Courtesy of Diriyah Art Futures
The Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) launch, a landmark event in the art world, took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last November. As the first hub in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region dedicated to New Media and Digital Art, DAF is poised to transform the global landscape by blending regional perspectives with cutting-edge art, technology, and innovation practices. Mona Khazindar, Advisor to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, emphasized the initiative’s significance: “Diriyah Art Futures embodies our commitment to advancing innovation and nurturing new forms of creative expression. Through this institution, we aim to empower artists and scholars, supporting them in producing impactful works and amplifying their voices on the global stage. By fostering collaboration and creativity, Diriyah Art Futures positions Saudi Arabia as a cultural leader and reinforces the Kingdom’s vision to promote artistic expression locally and internationally.”
Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, the 2,000 sqm iconic building was designed by the Italian architectural firm Schiattarella Associati. The design of Diriyah Art Futures unfolds horizontally. The complex comprises a series of compact and austere volumes, with narrow, deep passages that create shaded and cool areas, mirroring the architectural tradition of these lands. The architect’s vision evokes the sense of the architecture emerging from the earth. The project was born thinking of a complex rather than a single building to minimize the impact of the architecture on the natural landscape. The building recovers the use of local materials, pushing them beyond their traditional use. This cutting-edge hub features state-of-the-art facilities, including digital labs, studios, and exhibition spaces.
Dr Haytham Nawar, Director of Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), leads an accomplished academic team that includes Dr Teagan Bristow (Director of Education), Dr Irene Papadimitriou (Director of Exhibitions), Sarah Al-Kahimi (Senior Exhibition Development Specialist, Ministry of Culture), and Hala Al Saleh (Education and Centre Development Specialist, Ministry of Culture).
At the launch of DAF, Dr. Nawar highlighted its significance, stating, “The opening of Diriyah Art Futures marks a milestone in the evolving narrative of New Media Art, introducing regional perspectives to global discussions. DAF will push creative boundaries and serve as a hub for critical engagement and innovation at the intersection of art and technology.”
One of DAF’s many initiatives is the Mazra’ah Media Art Residency. The inaugural residency, Emerging New Media Artists Programme, is developed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy—Studio National des Arts Contemporains in France. This year-long initiative equips emerging artists with advanced equipment, mentorship, and funding to create innovative multidisciplinary works. This three-month programme invites established artists and scholars to engage with DAF’s resources to create works reflecting the relationship between nature, technology, and society.
In a statement by the Museums Commission, Ibrahim Alsanousi, Acting CEO, says: “The Mazra’ah Media Art Residency reflects Saudi Arabia’s dedication to cultivating its cultural ecosystem and transforming Riyadh into a global center for New Media and Digital Art. Through this initiative, we are positioning the Kingdom as a hub for cultural exchange and innovation, pioneering new forms of creative expression in one of our most treasured historic districts.” The residency welcomes applications from around the world, with a particular emphasis on encouraging participation from the MENA region.
The inaugural exhibition, ‘Art Must Be Artificial: Perspectives of AI in the Visual Arts’, marks a pivotal moment in the region’s cultural evolution. Showcasing the intersection of technology and creativity, this groundbreaking exhibition delves into the evolution of computational art from the 1960s to the present. As AI and digital technologies increasingly shape our world, the exhibition highlights how computers have become a dynamic medium for artistic expression, fueling the emergence of computer art. Featuring diverse historical and contemporary works by international, regional, and Saudi artists, it demonstrates the vibrant potential of digital technology as an artistic medium, offering limitless possibilities for aesthetics and visual culture.
Curated by Jérôme Neutres (former director at the Réunion des Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais in Paris), the exhibition offers a historical perspective on the development of computational and robotic art. It highlights how pioneering artists of the 1960s created the first generative art programs and how contemporary artists continue to expand the boundaries of visual creativity through algorithms and AI. The exhibition also explores the historical connection between algorithms and Islamic culture, highlighting that the term “algorithm” originates from the work of Muslim mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi.
The showcased works examine themes of nature, technology, and the creative process and invite reflection on the complexities and challenges of our increasingly digital world.
The journey through the exhibition encompasses several important themes, including the evolution of computational art, which traces the development of digital and robotic art from its inception to its current form. The Intersection of Art and Technology investigates the relationship between digital tools and visual creativity and how this impacts the future of art. The cultural roots of computational art highlight the algorithm’s Islamic origins and its significance in the history of computing, art, and AI as an artistic medium, exploring how algorithms and AI serve as new tools for creative expression.
The exhibition features works by over thirty artists from fifteen countries, spanning decades of computational and digital art innovation. It includes historical pieces from the 1960s to the 1980s by pioneers like Frieder Nake and Vera Molnar, who developed the first generative art programs.
Contemporary global artists are also represented, showcasing recent AI and visual arts advancements. Notable contributors include Peter Kogler, Davide Quayola, Miguel Chevalier, Ryoji Ikeda, and Wang Yuyang.
The exhibition further highlights new commissions by Saudi artists such as Lulwah Al-Homoud, Eyad Maghazil, Daniah Al-Saleh, Nasser Alshemimry, and Muhannad Shono, alongside works by prominent regional artists, including Refik Anadol and Laila Shereen Sakr (VJ Um Amel).
During a curator lead tour of the exhibition, Jérôme Notre noted that “When we talk about computing, we talk about ‘technology’, that is, technology that is also a language (logia)”; a phrase uttered by the late Edmond Cochot, a pioneer of generative art. In fact, new artistic practices emerged in the early 1960s and expanded in the last two decades, coinciding with the spread of digital technology, in which artists found a new medium to express their vision of a rapidly changing world, a world that has introduced computers into the routine of daily life, and thus “computer arts” saw the light.”
Since its inception, the computer has evolved from a mere tool to an independent medium with its own creative language. The exhibition showcases artists who transcended the computer’s communicative functions, imbuing it with a poetic dimension. By harnessing algorithms and generative capabilities to create innovative forms and colours, visionaries like Vera Molnár, Manfred Mohr, Ryūji Ikeda, and Refik Anadol pushed the boundaries of traditional visual arts, opening the door to entirely new creative possibilities.
The launch of Diriyah Art Futures aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 commitment to advancing innovation, driving global collaboration, and positioning the country as a leader in the global creative economy.
For more information, please visit Diriyah Art Futures.
