Arabic
On March 18th, the “Noor Riyadh” festival was launched in the capital city of Riyadh, with the participation of famous artists in the field of lighting arts, from more than 20 countries; some 40% of them are Saudi artists. The festival will continue until April 3rd, and will include a show of interactive artwork that depends on lighting in various sites in the city of Riyadh.
This festival is the first event of the "Riyadh Art" program, one of the four major projects launched on March 19th, 2019, by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah protect him, at the initiative of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, may Allah protect him, with the aim of transforming the city of Riyadh into an open art gallery that blends tradition with a contemporary vibe.
The festival of "Noor Riyadh" features 60 artworks that boasts different forms of light arts, including historical, engineering, and visual works. This is in addition to sculptures, lighting shows, interactive performances, kinetic pieces, outdoor installations, and some works of light art. The residents of the city of Riyadh can enjoy this festival in various parts of the city, especially in the King Abdullah Financial Center and the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in Al Murabba’ district.
Under the directions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the exhibition of "Light upon Light" was held within the context of the festival of "Noor Riyadh", which is the largest collective art exhibition that traces the artistic movement in the lighting arts since the 1960s until today.
The exhibition of "Light upon Light" started from March 18th, and will continue until June 12th, 2021. The exhibition features four pavilions that showcase the artworks of many artists from different countries. The exhibition features some workshops, discussion sessions, tours, performances, volunteer programs, cinematic and musical events, recreational and educational activities suitable for all family members. His Highness Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the "Riyadh Art" program, said that the program comes in accordance to the keenness of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for the Riyadh City- may Allah protect him - to elevate the city of Riyadh to the position it deserves among the capitals of the world. The program also aims to improve the quality of life in the city of Riyadh in line with the objectives of the "Vision 2030", and to enhance the cultural and artistic aspects in the city, through transforming the city of Riyadh into an open art gallery that blends originality with contemporary, through 12 artistic initiatives that include the implementation of more than 1,000 works and art landmarks created by local and international artists, in front of the public in various parts of Riyadh.
Many artists participated in the festival of ‘Noor Riyadh”, the most prominent of whom were Saudi artists: "Ahmed Mater, Lulwa Al-Hamoud, Ayman Zidani, Rashed Al-Sha’asha'i, and Maha Mallouh." As for international artists, the most prominent of them are: "Daniel Burin, Karsten Holler, Ilya Kabakov, Emilia Kabakov, Yayoi Kusuma and Dan Flavin."
The activities of the festival can be found on its website: www.noorriyadh.sa.
