المملكة: A thriving creative community… Details of the eighth edition of Misk Arts Week

“Misk Arts Week”, the most prominent artistic event organized by the Misk Arts Institute of the Mohammed bin Salman non-profit foundation “MiSK”, in its eighth edition, opened its doors at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall in Riyadh, during the period from 5 to 10 December 2024.
It includes a busy six-day program that includes art exhibitions and performances, specialized courses, workshops, an art and design market, an art book fair, musical performances, and a galleries area, which provide important opportunities for artists to develop their skills and present their work to audiences from inside and outside the Kingdom.

Misk Arts Week

Since its launch in 2017, “Misk Arts Week” has become a major platform for promoting creative production in the field of visual arts, within the framework of the Misk Institute’s vision of building a prosperous creative society, and opening the way for everyone to benefit from the arts so that art is available to everyone.

The topics of the eighth edition of this celebration revolve around the concept of “media and technology” and how media and technology contribute to providing new opportunities for artists and society.
CEO of the Misk Art Institute, Reem Al-Sultan, says: “In this year’s edition, we seek to enhance cultural dialogue through art, make events an effective platform to enable artists to express themselves, and support ongoing programs that contribute to the development of the creative community in the Kingdom.”

Art and design market

The Arts and Design Market is a creative platform that goes beyond the idea of ​​a market in its literal sense and brings together more than 90 artists under one roof, offering the art audience an opportunity to display and sell their artwork, in addition to communicating, interacting and exchanging experiences within the creative community.

It is a space to enhance opportunities and a platform to celebrate art and inspiring experiences, taking the hand of artists and those interested, connecting them to the public, and making art available to everyone.

Educational programs

Up-and-coming artists and art enthusiasts benefit from a range of training courses and workshops aimed at developing their skills, covering areas such as photography, illustration, and typeface design.
Individual mentoring sessions will also be provided to connect artists with experts to develop their projects.

Misk Arts Scholarship 2024

This year’s Misk Arts Grant was offered to artists from the Middle East and North Africa region to explore phenomena shaped by modern technology such as communication, data analysis, and algorithmic systems. How have technologies reshaped human experiences and the way we interact with the world?
The exhibition explores the relationship between ancient traditions and technological futures by examining the impact of communication technology on human expression and relationships, and by reflecting on the first means of transmitting culture from technological mediation to narrative, the exhibition explores how our communication has evolved thanks to innovations in communication technology.
Through the works of five artists using diverse media, from analogue to digital, the exhibition delves into creativity, society and the evolving relationship between humans and technology, in an age characterized by social media and data transmission.
Participating artists: Sarah Al-Mutlaq (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Maryam Al-Jumairi (Kingdom of Bahrain), Ahed Al-Amoudi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Ziad Al-Ruqi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Hatem Al-Ahmad (Syrian Arab Republic).

Riyadh Features Exhibition

Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has witnessed remarkable development in the last decade, as images of the modern city have become increasingly widespread on social media platforms. However, this exhibition highlights a different side of Riyadh.
The participating artists directed their cameras at public spaces, residential neighborhoods, and suburbs, focusing on architecture. Accurate photographs have been taken of a number of historic and contemporary sites, some of which are still in use, while others have been abandoned.
Through their lenses, the exhibition reveals a network of human connections, showcasing the urban and natural landscape of the city, and highlighting man’s relationship with his surrounding environment.
It also presents spaces as places that carry individual and collective memory. On the other hand, the photographic works in the exhibition address various social issues, combining the strange and the familiar, and drawing attention to places that have escaped attention despite their emotional importance.

Participating artists

Participating artists: Abdullah Abdulaziz (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Abdulsalam Al-Omari (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Armando Perna (Italy), Badr Al-Balawi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Dalal Al-Mutairi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Faisal bin Zara (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) , Hajar Ali (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Hassan Al-Shatti (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Hessa Al-Hamad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Latifa Al-Bukhari (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Mansour Al-Sufi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Mishari Al-Dosari (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Muhammad Al-Jubran (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Nada Al-Shahrani (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Nayef Al-Qubba (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Noura Al-Muqahim (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Osama Al-Sayed (United States of America), Sarah Al-Ansari (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Sarah Saad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Tamara Hamad (Kingdom of Jordan).

Era of Subdued Impact Exhibition

The “Age of the Subtle Trace” refers to a period of quiet, but profound transformations occurring beneath the surface of everyday life. As diverse ideas, cultures, and experiences merge, these transformations are reshaping the way we communicate, create, and understand the world. With the advent of the Internet era, the boundaries between individual privacy and public consumption have blurred, creating a fertile space for innovation and change to grow.
Participating artists: Ibrahim Abu Mesmar (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Mahdi Al-Jaribi (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Turki Al-Qahtani (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Omar Al-Zahrani (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Muhammad Sharuru (Morocco), Ayman Yousry Didban (Palestine/Kingdom of Arabia) Saudi Arabia), Iman Al-Jibreen (Saudi Arabia), Mounir Fatemi (Morocco), Saeed Qamhawi (Saudi Arabia), Samia Halabi (Palestine), David Hockney (United Kingdom), Sofiane Al-Idrissi (Morocco), Ziad Kaaki (Saudi Arabia), Khaled Makhshouch (Saudi Arabia), Ahmed Mater (Saudi Arabia), Bennett Miller (USA), Nam June Paik (South Korea), John Salvest (USA). United States of America), Faisal Samra (Saudi Arabia), Anya Soliman (Egypt/Poland).

Showcase the work of setting up a space

Masaha Residency is a local residency program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; In its eighth session, it will present a presentation of the works of 12 resident artists. The eighth session of the residency was characterized by an exploration into the concept of media and technology through research into common themes that include daily and material life, new technology, and the art of narrative.
Participating artists: Assem Hindawi (Arab Republic of Egypt), Julien Mok (Hong Kong), Latifa Abdel Rahman (Saudi Arabia), Luz Pescovic (Argentina), Sarah Albaiz (Saudi Arabia), Yiguo Zeng (China), Mahmoud Sharif ( Kingdom of Bahrain), Maryam Baswad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Omnia Al-Amir (Kingdom of Bahrain), Soha Al-Attas (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Thomas Igomenides (France), Zeina Bukhari (Saudi Arabia).

Family tour

In this year’s edition, Misk Arts Week offers a family tour for children between 5 and 12 years old (in the first three days only), to explore art with their families from a new perspective, through interactive activities, virtual reality experiences, and tours of art galleries.
This year, Misk Arts Week includes a number of performance and musical performances presented by international bands and groups.

Art book gallery

This is the second edition of the Art Library, in which more than 20 publishing houses specializing in culture and arts are participating this year, and is considered one of the most prominent sections of Misk Arts Week, and includes the launch of new books and book signings as well.