Ithra Joins Inaugural Art Week Riyadh as Exhibition Partner

Riyadh, April 6 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) announced today its participation as an Exhibition Partner at the inaugural edition of Art Week Riyadh, an initiative of the Ministry of Culture’s Visual Arts Commission. The event is scheduled to run from April 6 to 13, 2025, across several key cultural sites in Riyadh, including the JAX District and Al Mousa Center.

In a press release, Ithra revealed that it will present a curated selection of 15 significant works from its museum collection, titled “Landscape and Memory.” This exhibition, part of the event’s broader “Collections in Dialogue” program, will be on display in the JAX District from April 6 to May 31, 2025.

The collection spans artworks created from the early 1900s to 2022, showcasing a rich variety of artistic practices and cultural expressions. It features a diverse range of mediums—including sculptures, paintings, and installations—by both regional and international artists. The exhibition explores the interplay between material memory, transformation, and the landscapes that shape identity, examining how history is preserved, reinterpreted, and reimagined through art. The show portrays memory as a dynamic force, linking the past with emerging possibilities for the future.

Among the featured works are Mohammed Alfaraj’s “Fossils of Knowledge” (2022) and Maha Malluh’s “Oil Candies” (KSA - 2019), as well as three pieces by American artist Gregory Mahoney: “Sea Land” (1991), “Five Gallons/Five Oceans” (1995), and “End of the World” (1993). The exhibition also includes Do Ho Suh’s “Screens” (2005), three photographs by Saudi photographer Moath Aloufi—“The Scene” (2019), “I Am the One” (2019), and “The Family” (2019)—and Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “Persone in Comunicazione” (2019).

Additional works on display feature Joumana Medlej’s “Who Am I?” (2015), Sultan bin Fahad’s “Sultan Bin Fahad 1440 AH” (2016), as well as Abdul Rahman Katanani’s “Tornado” (2020), Hazem Harb’s “The Place is Mine, Series #3” (2019), and Moataz Nasr’s “Burning” (2019). The exhibition offers a glimpse into Ithra’s diverse and vibrant collection, celebrating the dynamism of contemporary art and its capacity to engage with complex cultural narratives.

Farah Abushullaih, Head of Museum at Ithra, said, “Ithra’s participation in Art Week Riyadh is an opportunity to celebrate creative expression and embrace diverse artistic and cultural perspectives. It is an opportunity to share a glimpse of the Ithra Museum and its rich collection of works.”

Art Week Riyadh is expected to become a pivotal platform for local and international galleries, cultural institutions, artists, collectors, and enthusiasts. The event not only highlights the rapid transformation of the Saudi art scene but also reinforces Riyadh’s position as a vibrant center for global artistic dialogue under the banner “At The Edge,” reflecting the city's position between tradition and modernity.