An unidentified suspect vandalized the first Saudi Contemporary Sculpture Symposium at the Jeddah Corniche on Friday.

Three sculptures, which were produced by national and international artists, were destroyed when acid was thrown at them.

The 20-day symposium, which was launched by Arabian Wings in cooperation with Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and the Jeddah Municipality on Oct. 17, witnessed the participation of three emerging artists, Talal Al-Tokhais from Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Keshta from Spain and Tamer Ragab from Egypt.

“What happened to the sculptures is unacceptable. It is an attack on Saudi culture,” said Mohammed Bahrawi, the creator and chief of Arabian Wings for Fine Art.

He added that the organization has filed complaints at the governor’s office, the Jeddah Municipality and police demanding that the culprit be held accountable.

“The offender clearly has some sort of background knowledge on the nature of sculptures because he chose to use acid instead of resorting to destroying the pieces of art with a hammer. The culprit must have known that marble absorbs liquid prior to being polished and so it must have been a calculated act to throw acid onto the sculptures. We now fear that the sculptures will break and disintegrate if we try to move them,” he explained.

Najla’a Felemban, founder of Arabian Wings and an artist herself, stressed the importance of preserving art sites for the benefit of the community.

“Our image has been tarnished by this act of vandalism. I promised the artists that strict action would be taken against the culprits and that we will take all measures necessary to protect their work in the future,” she added.

Sculptor Ahmad Keshta expressed his disappointment. “I was very upset when I saw my sculpture destroyed. We worked on this project to spread the message of love and deepening cultural, artistic and aesthetic bonds,” said Keshta.

He said they agreed to work on their sculptures in open air in order to engage with the public and increase the appreciation for arts.

“We spent hours working on the sculptures, which we wanted to give the people of Jeddah as a gift,” he added.

Talal Al-Tokhais expressed his dismay, emphasizing the fact that such an act of vandalism was disrespectful to both the artists and the organizers.