RIYADH BECOMES AN OPEN AIR GALLERY
Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, has launched a civic art initiative of unprecedented scale to spectacularly transform public spaces, create a movement for artistic expression through community engagement, and accelerate the development of its cultural economy.
Riyadh Art is one of the grand projects launched by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on March 19, 2019, under the supervision of the Committee of Grand Projects chaired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.
Riyadh Art is one of the grand projects being developed by RCRC that collectively transform the capital into an environmentally friendly, sustainable city which offers the highest standards of livability and lifestyle, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.
With a young and rapidly growing population of seven million residents, the city is transforming into a vibrant, cosmopolitan global city, and art in all its forms contributes significantly to achieving that goal.
Art and culture reflect the spirit of a city, and so the Riyadh Art program has been developed as a mega project to turn the whole capital into a creative canvas – a gallery without walls – to enrich lives, ignite creative expression and kindle the creative economy.
It is a demonstration of the open, accessible, creative transformation of the capital where the exchange of ideas through creative expression develops a deeper mutual understanding and respect.
Above all, the Riyadh Art initiative will have a positive impact on people, bringing moments of joy to residents and visitors every day, while instilling a greater sense of civic pride and creating a more beautiful city for everyone to enjoy. It will also spark development of the new creative economy and have a positive effect in attracting new businesses to invest in the city.
Comprising more than 1,000 public art installations and supported by two major annual festivals, the project brings art to residential neighborhoods, gardens and parks, squares and public areas, metro and bus stations, bridges and pedestrian pathways, city entrances and tourist destinations in the city.
An expansive community engagement program will take artist workshops into the residential neighborhoods of Riyadh, to provide spaces where all residents can be involved in creativity through artistic expression.
