AlUla, from the Saudi desert to Larvotto beach: a wonderful exhibition you shouldn’t miss this summer
Robert Polidori's photo of a hidden lake in Shallal Canyon © All rights reserved
AlUla includes the first Saudi site to figure on UNESCO’s World Heritage list, Hegra, a historical landmark, and one of Lawrence of Arabia’s conquests. It also includes Dadan, one of the most developed cities of the 1st millennium BC.
A desert and oases inside the city. The Promenade du Larvotto is being transformed into a veritable open-air art gallery, until September 3. Have you heard of AlUla, the “cultural oasis” in north-west Saudi Arabia?
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The photo exhibition, entitled ‘AlUla: un tissage de créativité’ (AIUIa, a weave of creativity) invites you to learn about it. Organised by Arts AlUla and under the patronage of the Principality’s Cultural Affairs Department, the photos on display take you on a journey into the heart of the desert, where history, culture and modernity are interwoven, on the ancient incense route.
A fabulous region, presented by 8 international artists
The free exhibition is open access, and presents the AlUla region through the eyes of eight international artists. The works on display are the result of an artists’ residency in AlUla. They offer an insight into AlUla’s geological wonders, archaeological importance and cultural richness.
Moath Alofi, Huda Beydoun, Lance Gerber, Catherine Gfeller, M’hammed Kilito, Prince Michael of Yugoslavia, Matthieu Paley and Robert Polidori, use innovative techniques and their own artistic voices to illustrate the region’s past, present and future.
Nora Aldabal, Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries for the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: “AlUla is an infinite source of inspiration for artists from different eras and cultures, and today it is reasserting itself as an international reference in the world of art and culture. The exhibition is a perfect illustration of AlUla’s ability to inspire new generations of local and international artists, while serving as a vehicle for bringing Saudi art and artists to the international stage.”
“The Principality of Monaco has always been a place where art flourishes, supporting new talent, which makes it the ideal starting point for the first photo exhibition of AlUla Arts that is open to the general public, outside of Saudi Arabia,” she concluded.
Visitors can find out more about the exhibition and the site, using the QR codes on the panels to access videos and a digital catalogue.