Saudi Arabia's 15 desert installations for Desert X AlUla 2024

It opened Feb. 9, and will remain active until March 23, 2024, the third open-for-all edition of Desert X AlUla, Saudi Arabia, curated by Maya El Khalil and Marcello Dantas, under the artistic direction of Raneem Farsi and Neville Wakefield. The recurring and temporary international outdoor art exhibition takes place in AlUla, an ancient desert region of global significance in the Arabian Peninsula.

With the theme In the Presence of Absence, Desert X AlUla 2024 asks what cannot be seen? Often regarded as empty places, deserts are often misunderstood as static and silent environments, but in reality they conceal much more than one can imagine. Participating artists therefore have been invited to explore concepts of the invisible and indescribable. They are encouraged to engage with what is not visible, making new connections with the landscape and imagining alternative perspectives that acknowledge the subtle forces and atmospheres suspended in time, wind, light, historical flows and myths of place. Desert X AlUla is a collaboration between Desert X and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) established to promote a new cultural dialogue through art. Building on the legacy of Desert X, which takes place in California’s Coachella Valley, Desert X AlUla is inspired by the principles of land art, offering a profound opportunity to experience art in dialogue with nature. Encouraged to engage with what is not immediately visible, artists create new dialogues with the landscape through artworks scattered throughout AlUla’s three different locations. In particular, the Wadi AlFann location hosts 15 of the Desert X AlUla 2024 installations:Wadi AlFann is the main focus of this edition, offering visitors the opportunity to experience art in dialogue with the vast landscapes and nature of AlUla’s beautiful canyons. More,

Intrinsically interconnected with the black basalt landscapes of the once volcanic viewpoint, the scenic Harrat Viewpoint hosts three other large-scale artworks as part of Desert X AlUla 2024. The artists participating in Desert X AlUla 2024 are: Ayman Yossri Daydban, Faisal Samra, Filwa Nazer, Sara Alissa, Nojoud AlSudairi, Aseel Alyaqoub, Caline Aoun, Kader Attia, Mounira Al Qadiri, Rand Abdul Jabbar, Rana Haddad, Pascal Hachem, Bosco Sodi, Guiseppe Penone, Ibrahim Mahama, Karola Braga, Kimsooja,

“Human efforts struggle to match the greatness carved here over the centuries. We challenged the artists to adapt their perspective to meet the invisible aspects of the place with reverence, tuning in to the forces, rhythms and processes that shape the landscape in imperceptible ways. Their works illustrate and engage ephemeral phenomena such as the movement of light or wind erosion, and are executed by these forces to reveal the monumental significance of what at first glance might seem absent,” said Maya El Khalil, curator of Desert X AlUla 2024.

“The desert, often perceived as a place of emptiness, gradually unveils its intricate layers of existence as we immerse ourselves in it. These layers manifest through the ever-changing terrain, the intricate dance of time, the trials of life, and the transformative power of climate. Desert X AlUla invites artists to create original works with a unique canvas on an unprecedented scale. We have entrusted these artists with the mission of discovering traces that transcend the limits of our sight, blurring the line between what we see and what we truly perceive, in the presence of absence,” says Marcello Dantas, curator of Desert X AlUla 2024.

Image: Dana Awartani, Where the Dwellers lay. Photo: Lance Gerber

Saudi Arabia's 15 desert installations for Desert X AlUla 2024

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