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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
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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.

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Culture

Hadrami Dan Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
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Hadrami Dan Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X
The Hadrami Dan included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a long and diligent process. Photo: X

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of UNESCO, during its ongoing 20th session in New Delhi, included the Hadrami Dan on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Hadrami Dan is a traditional performance and community gathering that combines spontaneous poetry, music and dance, widespread practiced across Hadhramaut Governorate. A typical Hadrami Dan gathering includes at least one singer and poet, with the audience seated in rows or circles.

Yemen’s Ambassador to UNESCO Mohammed Jumaih said the Hadrami Dan deserves this recognition, following a long and diligent process to reach this goal.

Jumaih thanked the Ministry of Culture and its staff, and the National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science.

He offered special gratitude to the Hadhramaut Foundation for Culture, which undertook the preparation and financing of the nomination file.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, its Chairperson (India’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Vishal Sharma), the committee members, its secretariat, and the Evaluation Body experts for their efforts.

Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Muammar Al-Eryani in the Yemeni government said this achievement represents “a well-deserved international recognition of one of the most important creative expressions in Hadhramaut and Yemen in general.”

The Hadrami Dan embodies the depth of Yemeni cultural identity, which successive generations have preserved despite the harsh transformations the country has undergone, he said.

Al-Eryani added that it is the result of a joint national effort involving the Ministry of Culture and the Hadhramaut Foundation for Culture, alongside the prominent role played by Jumaih in following up on the issue within UNESCO.

Culture

Saudi Arabia: Najran Cultural Tent Contributes to Passing Cultural Heritage Across Generations

As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA
As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: Najran Cultural Tent Contributes to Passing Cultural Heritage Across Generations

As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA
As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage. SPA

The cultural tent at Najran Al-Ruqsh Festival has emerged as one of the event’s most prominent attractions, drawing visitors of all ages, particularly those interested in the region’s rich cultural heritage and historical legacy, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The tent featured a dedicated corner for activities, stories, and traditional narratives, where elderly community members shared their experiences and memories with younger generations, SPA said on Saturday.

Through these interactions, they highlighted aspects of local heritage and recounted stories from the past that reflected daily life, social values, and inherited customs that have shaped Najran’s identity over generations.

As part of the festival’s broader activities, the cultural tent aims to preserve folk heritage, strengthen its presence in the community’s collective memory, and present it to current and future generations in a manner that balances authenticity with modernity, thereby promoting the region’s cultural identity.

Culture

Jeddah Book Fair Highlights Saudi Manga and Comics’ Rise from Hobby to Professionalism

Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)
Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)
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Jeddah Book Fair Highlights Saudi Manga and Comics’ Rise from Hobby to Professionalism

Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)
Manga zone at Jeddah Book Fair captivates visitors with creative content, comics. (SPA)

A dialogue session held on the main stage of the Jeddah Book Fair 2025, organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, discussed the rapid transformations taking place in the manga and comics sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the title "The Saudi Manga and Comics Wave: From Hobby to Professionalism."

The session began by outlining the features of the creative renaissance in these art forms, explaining how they evolved in just a few years from individual initiatives and youthful hobbies to a mature artistic movement and a cultural vision embraced by institutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The session highlighted the development of manga and comics in Saudi Arabia and the challenges and opportunities artists face as they transition from hobby to professional practice. It reviewed the local scene, which has seen a broad presence, bolstered by media platforms that support Saudi productions and help spread this art form among the public.

The session explained that manga and comics in Saudi Arabia have developed a clear artistic identity that reflects Saudi cultural values such as generosity, courage, and humanity. It emphasized that professionalism depends on an integrated system encompassing concept, story writing, illustration, and design.

The session concluded by highlighting the most prominent professional challenges in this field, while stressing that human creativity remains the key factor of manga and comics production and the true engine of this art form's development.