By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait
The spectacular Al Ula Arts Festival returns this week for its second edition with an extensive program of events, exhibitions, and creative initiatives taking place across 12 days in the stunning landscape of the ancient city of Al Ula. Located 1,100km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, Al Ula is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains, and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to the Roman Empire in 106 AD.
Inaugurated in 2022 as part of the broader Al Ula Moments calendar of events and festivals, Al Ula Arts Festival is set to become a must-do annual event on the global art scene. Themed ‘Living in Color,’ Al Ula Arts Festival 2023 explores art that revels in the polychromatic, including exhibitions such as FAME: Andy Warhol in Al Ula, which brings artworks by the American contemporary artist to the kingdom for the first time. The exhibition will feature Warhol’s famous paintings and prints of Hollywood stars and celebrities alongside his ground-breaking installation Silver Clouds and archival photography.
FAME will also be accompanied by a robust program of performances, talks, and workshops, including the 13 Most Beautiful, large-scale projections of Warhol’s silent films set to a specially commissioned live soundtrack by cult rock duo Dean and Britta which will take place at Maraya on February 16th.
The Art in the Landscape Guided Hike will introduce audiences to the Wadi Al Fann landscapes, which will be the site of art commissions by the likes of world-renowned artists such as James Turrell, Agnes Denes, and Michael Heizer. The guided art tours offer visitors a chance to traverse Al Ula’s unique terrain through the lens of art. Aimed at adventurous art lovers, the ticketed guided hike will last six hours, with participants navigating the canyons and stunning desert trail while learning about the Wadi Al Fann vision and artist narrative.
Al Ula’s culture and dining village, Al Jadidah, will be the setting for a range of public art and interactive events, including the 100 Best Arabic Posters. Launched in 2015 at the German University of Cairo, the unique platform showcases the latest innovations within the region’s contemporary visual culture, serving as a reference for graphic designers, visual artists, and scholars within the Arab world and beyond.
Other unique experiences include the Of Myhrr and Silver Scent Walking Tours, which take visitors through an immersive journey of scents, from myrrh to botanicals to roasted Arabic coffee. Weaving through the oasis, Al Jadidah, and Old Town, the ticketed tour will also offer encounters with sound and music related to the ancient trading route.
Al Jadidah is also the site for the specially constructed Cinema Al Jadidah and a curated film program in partnership with the Red Sea International Film Festival. This cozy and atmospheric outdoor cinema will play a unique selection of films from Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab world, and beyond.
Budding artists will be glad to know that the Canon Young People’s Program, from February 20th to 28, will allow budding photographers to learn visual storytelling through a workshop that will culminate in an outdoor exhibition.
The creation of Arts Al Ula is a commitment to crafting and celebrating cultural inheritance, presenting the art of our time, and shaping a future propelled by creativity. The festival will run until February 28th, with some programs extending to May.
By Hermoine Macura-Noble
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
