Latest news with #DiriyahArtFutures
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Experts discuss career paths in Saudi museum sector
RIYADH: The Museums Commission held a virtual session on qualifications and job opportunities in the museum sector as part of its monthly Open Talk series, engaging specialists in museums, heritage, and culture. The session aimed to raise awareness, share expertise, and highlight best practices in managing and preserving cultural heritage to develop the Kingdom's museum sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The discussion covered qualifications, career paths, and skills needed locally and internationally; updates on the Kingdom's museum job market; academic requirements for national talent; key specialized roles; practical competencies; and global trends in digitization and exhibition technologies. Alsharqi Dahmali, president of the Arab Regional Alliance of the International Council of Museums, said management was a question of development, protection, and employment. He noted employment was fundamental and that the curator role had evolved to require specialized collection management skills. Dahmali emphasized that curator roles continued to evolve with societal changes, requiring advanced thinking to engage communities and meet public expectations. He urged museum teams to be prepared for crises with professionalism, and highlighted the importance of studying visitor behavior and providing engaging, comfortable, interactive environments to boost competitiveness. Hala Al-Saleh, a specialist at Diriyah Art Futures, said museum career paths lacked clear classifications due to evolving roles. She described diverse specializations like exhibition curation, museum education, collections management, digital archiving, visual design, and technical and artistic tracks. Al-Saleh also discussed Diriyah Art Futures' Emerging New Media Artists program, which empowers rising talents by combining art, research, and advanced technology with international collaboration. She highlighted digital transformation's impact on museum operations and public engagement, which had created demand for specialized tech-savvy talent. Maria Alam, former director of learning at Art Jameel, stressed strong motivation was essential for museum careers. She added that some hesitated to enter the sector despite the field's passion, continuous learning, and openness to cultural collections. She pointed out the museum sector offered diverse careers with academic options, from diplomas to practical and theoretical training, allowing entry through specialized tracks.
Leaders
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Leaders
Diriyah Art Futures Hosts Open Studio for Mazra'ah Media Arts Residency
Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) hosted its inaugural Mazra'ah Media Arts Residency Open Studio this week at its headquarters in Diriyah, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The event served as a valuable opportunity to showcase the behind-the-scenes work of the research and artistic projects developed by the Spring 2025 cohort of artists and scholars. The first cohort consisted of the following participants: UK-based artist Dr. Stanza Indian artist Harshit Agrawal Saudi artists Arwa Yahya Alneami, Reem Alnasser, and Reem Alfagih Japanese curator and scholar Mizuho Yamazaki German scholar Anett Holszheid The night featured various artist talks, studio walkthroughs, as well as interactive sessions in DAF's XR and fabrication labs. Interestingly, attendees had the opportunity to visit the audio studio, extended reality, and production lab. There, they interacted with creative experiments and discovered the research and technical processes behind them. Mazra'ah Media Arts Residency provides selected participants with access to labs and studios, a budget for production costs, as well as a dedicated production team. To highlight the effect of technology on natural and constructed landscapes, the participant presented projects under the theme of 'High-Resolution Dreams of Sand.' Diriyah Art Futures represents a strong partnership between the Saudi Museums Commission and Diriyah Company. The new hub seeks to leave a strong impact on the new media and digital art landscape through the integration of regional voices into the global art and technology. Related Topics: Saudi Arabia Launches Jax Film Studios in Riyadh 'AlHisn Big Time Studios': Saudi Arabia Launches Largest Production Facilities in Region Diriyah Art Futures Launches New Exhibition for Digital Artists Short link : Post Views: 33 Related Stories
Time Magazine
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Diriyah Company
Headlines lauding Saudi Arabia's bold plans to steer its economy away from oil tend to focus on splashy futuristic projects still years from realization. But Diriyah Gate, a $63 billion tourism development rooted in the Kingdom's rich history, is now partly completed. Built around At-Turaif, a centuries-old desert fortress outside Riyadh, Diriyah Gate melds modern luxuries with the region's traditional mud-brick Najdi architecture. '[W]e're embracing the modernity of technology to enhance' the experience of 300 years of history, says Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of Diriyah. The first of 37 planned resorts, Marriott Bab Samhan, opened in December; other recent debuts include Diriyah Art Futures, the region's first digital art museum, and Zallal, a shopping and commercial office district. While Diriyah marches toward its planned 2030 completion, one particularly high-profile traveler has already made a visit: President Trump stopped by in May during his first trip abroad of his second term. With more than $1 billion worth of deals with European firms locked in last fall, Diriyah Company is showing that the kingdom's tourism dreams aren't just blueprints. The project, says Inzerillo, will both diversify the economy and reshape the image of a 'young, dynamic nation.'
The National
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Art Futures named one of the world's most beautiful museums
Diriyah Art Futures has been named one of the world's most beautiful museums. It is the first space in Saudi Arabia dedicated to digital art and emerging technologies, and was listed by the Prix Versailles, which recognises achievements in architecture and interior design. The museum, in the town of Diriyah near Riyadh, was designed by Italian architects Schiattarella Associati. It is one of seven museums selected globally for the 2025 award, and the only one from the region. Others recognised include the Grand Palais in Paris, Kunstsilo in Kristiansand, Norway, and Bali's Saka Museum. Diriyah Art Futures' architecture has been praised for its sensitive integration with the surrounding landscape, drawing from traditional Najdi heritage while embracing contemporary sensibilities and the future-facing spirit of its curatorial programme. The museum is not a single building, instead unfolding across a series of sculptural pavilions, housing galleries, research labs and an auditorium. It also has a new media library and a bookstore. The distinct spaces are connected through shaded passageways that echo the rhythm of historical desert settlements. 'We wanted the architecture to feel as though it emerged from the earth,' the architects said. 'This is our approach to design: harnessing natural values to create a contemporary language that resonates deeply with the location.' The recognition is a milestone for Saudi Arabia's cultural architecture. Prix Versailles was established in 2015, with the support of Unesco. It celebrates architecture that makes a cultural, ecological and social impact. Prix Versailles named Zayed International Airport the world's most beautiful airport in 2024.
CairoScene
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Diriyah Art Futures Launches Call for Emerging Media Artists
With its one-year programme for emerging artists, Diriyah Art Futures is building space for digital practice to grow. Located on the edge of Riyadh in the historic district of Diriyah, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Diriyah Art Futures is Saudi Arabia's first institution dedicated to New Media and Digital Art. Developed by the Saudi Museums Commission, it was built with a long view: not just for the current generation of artists, but for the infrastructure their work will need to survive, adapt, and evolve. At the core of the institution sits the Emerging New Media Artists Programme, now open for its second cycle. The programme was developed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains, an institution in northern France known for its rigorous interdisciplinary approach. The influence is clear, but not imitative. DAF has begun developing its own pace, rooted in the region but conversant with global networks. Each selected artist enters a year-long process that begins with a three-month period of conceptual exploration. Lectures, screenings, and seminars led by international artists, scholars, and theorists form a kind of orientation. What is the cultural weight of emerging technologies? What do we inherit when we use a system we didn't design? What does it mean to archive, sense, simulate? After this initial phase, the programme shifts into production. Artists are given access to specialised labs and studios outfitted for motion capture, spatial sound, machine learning, immersive reality, and sensing technologies. The support is technical and intellectual. Mentors work closely with each artist, not to shape outcomes, but to push process. Twelve artists participated in the inaugural cycle in 2023, representing eleven countries. Among them were filmmakers, coders, choreographers, researchers, some from Saudi Arabia, others from across the MENA region and beyond. The programme ends with a public exhibition, held onsite at DAF. But the point is not closure. These exhibitions offer a record of artistic thinking at a specific moment in time, one shaped by the technologies of now, but not bound to them. The programme is fully funded and open to artists aged 35 or under with experience in New Media or Digital Art. Participants receive production budgets, personal mentorship, and sustained curatorial support. Artists must be 35 or under with experience in New Media or Digital Art. To learn more about eligibility, selection criteria, and how to apply, visit:
