DHAHRAN: The Egyptian capital will be bursting with art this month as the inaugural Cairo Art Summit is held from July 9-11, with further programming lasting until the end of July.
Regional artists, architects, anthropologists, museum professionals, developers, policymakers, academics, financiers and cultural leaders from Egypt — and across the region — are convening under one common vision: To explore and examine the future of cities through the lens of culture.
Among the confirmed speakers and featured guests are Hafsa Al-Khudairi, who recently served as co-curator of Saudi Arabia’s still ongoing Venice Biennale pavilion for 2026; and Riyadh-based Adam Kucharski, an urbanist, anthropologist and culture master planning expert. They will be joined by dozens of architects, artists, filmmakers, urbanists, journalists, museum professionals, developers and cultural practitioners from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, Europe and North America.
Adham Hafez is the curator of the Cairo Art Summit. (Supplied)
The program will explore subjects including heritage-led regeneration, culture as economic infrastructure, museums and new institutional models, public art, architecture, cultural policy, placemaking, independent cultural initiatives and the future of historic cities.
One of the defining characteristics of Cairo Art Summit is the breadth of partnerships bringing the project to life across the city.
The opening VIP reception will be held at the legendary Cinema Radio, one of the oldest surviving cinemas in the Arab world and a venue historically associated with performances by the legend herself, Umm Kulthum.
Across the Nile in Zamalek, the summit’s main conversations will take place at Villa M, through a partnership with MARAKEZ, whose support has enabled the creation of a dedicated forum bringing together regional and international experts across architecture, heritage, design, urbanism, finance, technology and culture.
The activation will be further enriched through collaborations with the Zamalek Association for Development, highlighting new models for preserving Cairo’s historic neighborhoods through civic engagement, adaptive reuse and cultural programming.
Visitors will also be invited to take part in a curated program of gallery walks and cultural tours across Zamalek, developed in partnership with Baladina Club, connecting summit visitors to Cairo’s contemporary artistic ecosystem, and encouraging direct engagement with the city’s galleries, creative spaces and architectural heritage.
Together, these collaborations will transform Cairo Art Summit from a conference into a city-wide cultural platform.
The summit’s closing will include a concert by Greek Egyptian singer and actress Marilena Roussoglou.
The program, curated by Adham Hafez, goes beyond a three-day-event.
Art lovers will have a chance to extend their passion with Tawareekh — a three-week exhibition and ideas laboratory running through July 30. This time, it will take place at the historic Ex-Davis Bryan building in Downtown Cairo, part of the project’s partnership with Al-Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment.
Tawareekh will transform the historic space into an archive, documenting more than 25 years of contemporary artistic practice across Egypt and the Arab world. A “Night in the Museum” event will take place at Access Arts Space, formerly known as Townhouse Gallery.
