Noor Riyadh, one of the most exciting and ambitious festivals of light and art in the world, has launched with more than 190 artworks and over 500 activities. The event, which started on Nov. 3, will run until Nov. 19.
Being held under the theme “We Dream of New Horizons,” the citywide artworks have lit up Riyadh across 40 locations and five main hubs. These hubs are: The Diplomatic Quarter, King Abdullah Financial District, Salam Park, JAX District — a new creative zone in the capital city — and King Abdullah Park. In addition, the exhibition “From Spark to Spirit,” opened at the JAX 03 on Nov. 3 and will run until Feb. 4 next year.
Part of the Riyadh Art program, the annual festival features inspirational work from more than 130 artists from 40 countries. The festival aims at nurturing local talent and inspiring youth to drive Saudi Arabia’s creative economy. More than a third of artists taking part in Noor Riyadh are from Saudi Arabia.
Architect Khalid Al-Hazani, Riyadh Art program director, said: “Noor Riyadh is a big part of plans to creatively transform the Kingdom’s capital into a vibrant, cosmopolitan global city through arts and culture. Supported by Riyadh Art, Noor Riyadh’s parent body, the ambition is to turn the city into ‘a gallery without walls,’ featuring public artworks and diverse community activities, aimed at artists and the people of the city.”
This year, Noor Riyadh is larger in scale and scope, increasing not only the number of participating artists and artworks, but also the list of community activities.
Among the highlights of Noor Riyadh are the selection of artworks that are being presented for the duration of the festival. At least 90 artworks are new commissions, which have been specifically created for this edition. These include The Garden of Light by Charles Sandison, a video projection in the Diplomatic Quarter hub that investigates the virtual horizon created between history and the digital world. On view just around the corner is Amplexus by Grimanesa Amorós, a light sculpture that radiates light through the air, enveloping and embracing the architecture, space and the viewer.
Another fascinating piece is Daan Roosegaarde’s Waterlicht installation that turns water into light. The work at Salam Park encompasses a dream landscape about the power and poetry of water with an ecological message.
Elsewhere at Salam Park, Cupid’s Koi Garden, the world’s first inflatable fountain, is a fantastical artwork by art company Eness that draws inspiration from formal civic fountains and classical statues.
At KAFD, Asaad Badawi’s Chasing the Sun showcases brightly colored fiberglass shapes that conjure planetary motions. On a similar theme of ingenuity, multidisciplinary artist Zahra Bundakji creates a sound portrait of women who have shaped and supported dance floors in Saudi Arabia, supported by the universal symbol of dance culture, the disco ball. The work, titled The Voice of Listening, is on view at the JAX District.
The comprehensive public program of more than 500 events at Noor Riyadh ranges from tours to talks, workshops, family activities, volunteering programs, and live music.
