Ithra showcases art collection for the first time at Art Week Riyadh

-          Ithra joins the inaugural edition of Art Week Riyadh (6 – 13 April, 2025), showcasing 15 art pieces from its museum collection for the first time outside of Ithra

-          The works are presented in an exhibition during Art Week Riyadh under the title of Collections in Dialogue, at JAX District, from 6 April – 31 May, 2025

-          The collection features works by renowned artists such as Mohammed Alfaraj, Maha Malluh, Do Ho Suh, and others.

DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, 7 April 2025 – The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) announces its participation as Exhibition Partner at the inaugural edition of Art Week Riyadh. An initiative of the Ministry of Culture’s Visual Arts Commission, Art Week Riyadh is held from April 6 –13, 2025, across key cultural sites, including JAX District and Al Mousa Center among other locations across Riyadh. The event is a non-commercial initiative and celebrates the nation’s dynamic art scene by bringing together leading local and international galleries, cultural institutions, artists, patrons, collectors and arts enthusiasts, all under the theme At The Edge.

At Art Week Riyadh, Ithra presents a curated selection of 15 significant works from its museum collection, titled Landscape and Memory, as part of the event’s invited collections exhibition, under the title of Collections in Dialogue, at JAX District, from 6 April – 31 May, 2025. Spanning from the early 1900s to 2022, the display showcases a rich variety of artistic practices and cultural expressions. Featuring both regional and international artists, it includes sculptures, paintings, and installations, providing a captivating overview of Ithra’s prized art collection. The exhibition explores the interplay between material memory, transformation, and the landscapes that shape identity, questioning how history is preserved, reinterpreted, and reimagined through art. The exhibition portrays memory not only as a mark on the world but as a dynamic force that links us to the past while opening new possibilities for the future.

Featured artists and their works include the Saudi Arabian artist and film director Mohammed Alfaraj’s Fossils of Knowledge (2022), Maha Malluh’s Oil Candies (KSA - 2019), and three works by American artist Gregory Mahoney: Sea Land (1991), Five Gallons/Five Oceans (1995), and End of the World (1993). Also on display: South Korean artist Do Ho Suh’s Screens (2005), three photographs by Saudi photographer Moath Aloufi, The Scene (2019), I Am the One (2019), and The Family (2019), as well as Italian master Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Persone in Comunicazione (2019), Lebanese calligraphy artist Joumana Medlej’s Who Am I? (2015), and KSA eclectic artist Sultan bin Fahad’s Sultan Bin Fahad 1440M (2016). Additionally, Palestinian sculptor Abdul Rahman Katanani’s Tornado (2020), Palestinian artist Hazem Harb’s The Place is Mine, Series #3 (2019), and Egyptian painter and sculptor Moataz Nasr’s Burning (2019) are also part of the exhibition.

This exhibition provides a glimpse into Ithra’s diverse collection, highlighting its variety and celebrating the vibrancy of contemporary art.
 

Farah Abushullaih, Head of Museum at Ithra said, "Ithra’s participation in Art Week Riyadh is an opportunity to celebrate creative expression and embrace diverse artistic and cultural perspectives. It is an opportunity to share a glimpse of the Ithra Museum and its rich collection of works.”