AlUla Contemporary Art Museum officially named at opening of pioneering exhibition Arduna

ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Arts AlUla announced a key milestone in the development of its newest cultural initiative. The AlUla Contemporary Art Museum was officially named and its vision revealed on 31^st January during the launch of Arduna, the first exhibition presented by the institution.

 

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AlUla, a cultural oasis located 1,100 km from Riyadh in North-West Saudi Arabia, is renowned for its extraordinary natural beauty and rich human heritage, including Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arts AlUla is dedicated to celebrating cultural heritage and shaping a future for AlUla propelled by creativity.

Designed as a dynamic platform for engaging audiences through exhibitions, commissions, residencies, research, and publications, the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum will bridge AlUla's rich heritage with contemporary artistic ideas, fostering global dialogue. The Museum is committed to a truly international exchange, reflecting AlUla's role as a cultural crossroads for millennia.

Architect Lina Ghotmeh will design the Museum's future physical home as part of Saudi Vision 2030, integrating it within the unique landscape of the AlUla Oasis.

Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said: "The AlUla Contemporary Art Museum marks another vital chapter in AlUla's journey, connecting our deep local heritage with the innovations shaping the global art landscape. Rooted in AlUla's monumental landscape and its people, and through bold commissions, landmark exhibitions, and deep collaborations, we are building a platform that elevates Saudi and regional voices into meaningful dialogue with the world. We look forward to welcoming our community, partners, and visitors to witness the rise of an institution that will shape artistic discourse for generations to come."

Staged as part of the fifth edition of the AlUla Arts Festival 2026, an annual celebration of art, design, and culture, Arduna brings together both contemporary and modern expressions of creativity. Meaning "our land" in Arabic, Arduna is co-curated by AlUla Contemporary Art Museum and Paris's Centre Pompidou with the support of the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA).

Featuring over 80 works from Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East, and the world, Arduna explores humanity's evolving relationship with nature, and includes new commissions and works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Manal AlDowayan, Ayman Zedani, and Etel Adnan, among others. Arduna runs from February 1 to April 15, 2026.

Press Kits:

The press kit for Arduna can be found here.

The press kit for the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum can be found here.

Image Library:

High-resolution images of the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum can be found here.

Video:

The AlUla Contemporary Art Museum video can be downloaded here.

Video News Release:

Video News Release of the event can be downloaded here.

For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com

About AlUla and Arts AlUla

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.

The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.

Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts', will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

AlUla Contemporary Art Museum officially named at opening of pioneering exhibition Arduna

AlUla Contemporary Art Museum officially named at opening of pioneering exhibition Arduna

AlUla Contemporary Art Museum officially named at opening of pioneering exhibition Arduna

AlUla Contemporary Art Museum officially named at opening of pioneering exhibition Arduna

AlUla Contemporary Art Museum officially named at opening of pioneering exhibition Arduna

BEIJING, Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vietnam sub-venue events of the 2026 Global Youth Spring Festival Gala co-organized by relevant authorities in Vietnam and south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were held successively in Hanoi and Hai Phong from January 28 to 29.

The events vividly showcased the profound cultural integration between China and Vietnam through various forms such as cultural performances, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and street flash mobs, promoting emotional resonance between the youth of the two countries and injecting new vitality into the traditional friendship of the two sides in the new era.

The gala held in Hanoi on January 28 included 12 cultural and artistic programs that blend traditional and modern, Chinese and Vietnamese characteristics. Actors from both China and Vietnam performed on the same stage, weaving a cross-border youth symphony together.

An intangible cultural heritage fair was also set up at the gala site, and the audience could participate in interactive activities such as calligraphy writing and intangible cultural heritage painting, experiencing both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures.

Rich cultural interactive activities were held in the central park of Hai Phong City on January 29, with Chinese and Vietnamese young artists and volunteers extending the festive atmosphere to the streets of the city.

In the flash mob performance segment, Chinese and Vietnamese calligraphers wrote auspicious Chinese characters as well as Vietnamese blessings, conveying best wishes crossing languages. Young singers and dancers performed songs and dances that blended Chinese and Vietnamese characteristics, driving the audience to move with the music and attracting waves of applause.

Touhu, a traditional Chinese game also known as pitch-pot, and blessing wall check-in among other interactive activities held on the site lured many local residents and tourists to participate in, with many of them sharing the wonderful moments through social media, achieving offline and online resonance.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/349441.html 

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Xinhua Silk Road: 2026 Global Youth Spring Festival Gala Vietnam sub-venue events held in Hanoi, Hai Phong to boost youth exchanges