Artist James Turrell will launch a new exhibition in the AlUla area of Saudi Arabia this month, paving the way for a permanent site-specific commission in the ancient northwest heritage region of the kingdom described as a “living museum”.
The Turrell exhibition (16 January-19 April) is part of the annual AlUla Arts Festival which is overseen by the Royal Commission for AlUla, the Saudi government cultural body led by the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Highlights of the show include renders, plans, and a constellation map for the artist’s upcoming site-specific commission in Wadi AlFann (Valley of the Arts). The US artist will also show a Cross Corner projection, comprising a glowing cube floating in the corner of a room, and a glasswork from the Royal Commission for AlUla’s contemporary art collection.
Wadi Al Fann is described in a project statement as “a 65-square-kilometre global cultural destination for contemporary land art where works by international artists are being permanently installed in the landscape of AlUla”.
Turrell is one of the first five artists creating new, large-scale, site-specific commissions for Wadi AlFann, alongside Manal AlDowayan, Agnes Denes, Michael Heizer, and Ahmed Mater. These initial five works are due to be "unveiled from 2026", says a spokesperson. The commissions will be overseen by Iwona Blazwick, the former director of Whitechapel Gallery in London, in her role as lead curator (Royal Commission for AlUla).
“At Wadi AlFann, Turrell will build upon the sensorial experience of space, colour and perception, creating a series of spaces within the canyon floor,” says a statement. Mater will generate a mirage within the sand dunes for his work Ashab Al-Lal while Denes will continue her ongoing series of monumental pyramids launched in the 1960s. AlDowayan’s labyrinthine installation Oasis of Stories meanwhile is inspired by the mud walls of AlUla’s Old Town.
A site-specific commissioned performance Thikra: Night of Remembering (25-27 January) devised by the UK choreographer Akram Khan and Manal AlDowayan, who represented Saudi Arabia at the 60th International Venice Biennale last year, will also form part of the AlUla Arts Festival. The performance will feature 14 international dancers, an original music score by the composer Aditya Prakash and costumes and set by AlDowayan.
The cultural rebranding and redevelopment of the notoriously orthodox kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues apace. Last month the UK government announced a culture partnership deal with Saudi Arabia whereby UK conservation and heritage experts will help to conserve cultural landmarks in the Middle Eastern country.
The move indicates the UK’s willingness to strengthen ties following France’s deepening partnership with Saudi Arabia over the past decade. Both countries signed a bilateral agreement in 2018, hailed as “historic” by the Saudi media, which focuses on a proposed network of future museums and archaeological sites around a museum of Arabic civilisation at the city of AlUla.
