Diriyah Art Futures Launches Emerging New Media Artists Program

Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, DAF seeks to establish Riyadh as a global capital of New Media Art. SPA
Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, DAF seeks to establish Riyadh as a global capital of New Media Art. SPA
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Diriyah Art Futures Launches Emerging New Media Artists Program

Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, DAF seeks to establish Riyadh as a global capital of New Media Art. SPA
Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, DAF seeks to establish Riyadh as a global capital of New Media Art. SPA

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), a pioneering new media arts center in Saudi Arabia, has announced the 12 successful applicants to its inaugural Emerging New Media Artists Program, which is launching later this year.
The program includes a diverse array of promising talents representing a broad range of creative practices and backgrounds, with strong representation from Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Running for one year, the fully funded program offers access to cutting-edge professional equipment and facilities, a production budget, learning experiences with international guest specialists in new media art, and personal mentorships from prominent international digital artists.

The inaugural group of emerging new media artists includes:
- Salma Aly (Egypt), specializing in interactive art.
- Samia Dzaïr (Algeria-France), a two-dimensional (2D) and stop-motion animator.
- Aya Abu Ghazaleh (Jordan), a visual artist and art therapist.
- Dhia Dhibi (Tunisia), a multidisciplinary artist, curator and researcher.
- Khaled Makshoush (Saudi Arabia), who specializes in pixel art.
- William Brooks (Wales), an artist exploring sound art through physical objects.
- Haonan He (China), who merges cartography, instrument making, and digital tech.
- Turki Al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia), a media artist and filmmaker reflecting Arab motifs.
- Youssef El Idrissi (Morocco), a multidisciplinary artist, cultural engineer, and researcher.
- Kyle Donald Marais (South Africa), an extended-reality (XR) developer and creative technologist.
- Mohamed Al Mubarak (Bahrain), a documentary filmmaker and video artist.
- Almuqawil Meshal (Saudi Arabia), an independent artist and curator.

Designed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy-Studio National des Arts Contemporains in France, the program is part of a wider partnership between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Diriyah Company to facilitate creativity across art, technology, and academia.

Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, DAF seeks to establish Riyadh as a global capital of New Media Art and empower the next generation of creative pioneers.

DAF aims to pioneer new horizons for creative practice in diverse fields where art intersects with science and technology. It was established through an initiative by the Ministry of Culture, standing as the first center dedicated to new media and digital arts in the MENA region.

The center also serves as a space for creators from around the world to collaborate, think, and innovate, focusing on research, documentation, and the production of new inspiring works.

Additionally, DAF provides artists and researchers with an opportunity to participate in its scheduled activities, including public events and educational programs, while also offering them residency programs.

The center seeks to contribute to enriching the Saudi artistic scene and enhancing the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for new media and digital arts. It highlights the talents of active artists in the region, allowing them to leave their impactful mark on art, science, and technology.



Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
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Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)

Egypt opened a series of galleries to the public on Tuesday in its flagship new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the pyramids of Giza.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly last week announced a "trial opening" ahead of a formal inauguration. Egyptian officials say a number of world leaders have expressed interest in attending the official opening but have not indicated when this will take place.

Pharaonic statues are showcased at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

The museum's main entrance hall with its stairway of Pharaonic statues and an annex for commercial shopping opened to the public in February 2023.

Ali Abu Al-Shish, a member of the Egyptian Archaeologists Union who attended Tuesday's opening of almost a dozen galleries, said the trial operation of the vast museum was evidence Egypt now had the space to exhibit its antiquities, including those being returned by Western states and museums.

It's an "important message that we can recover our antiquities, which are spread across various countries in the world," he said.

Visiting Russian tourist Kseniia Muse said: "We are so happy to be here, to have visited these beautiful sculptures... It is very modern and at the same time you can touch the ancient."

Pharaonic statues are displayed at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Tourism is an important source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt. The government has been trying to increase tourist numbers after facing a long-running foreign currency shortage that was exacerbated by external shocks.

Until now, Egypt's most famous collections have been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been largely unmodernized and unrenovated since opening in 1902.