Skeleton of the Glorious, 2025

Al-Masmak Fort was built as a citadel to protect Riyadh. Its name reflects the thickness of its walls, made of clay, adobe, and Athel tree beams. It served as the city’s defensive stronghold, like the human skeleton that stabilizes, supports, and protects the human body. Titled Skeleton of the Glorious (2025), Khalid Zahid’s work echoes the symbol of strength, perseverance, and safety found in this historic building. The work acts as an X-ray image of Al-Masmak Fort’s stabilizing walls; the uniquely positioned light around Skeleton of the Glorious permeates and reveals its structure. In this way, his work presents the stronghold fortress of the Saudi nation. By casting light on it, the fortress’s outer shell falls away so its solid framework comes into view, a reminder of its inner mechanism as we witness astonishing progress and development at the speed of light.