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Riyadh Art Announces Tuwaiq Int’l Sculpture Symposium 2025 with 30 Artists from 23 Countries

Riyadh Art Announces Tuwaiq Int’l Sculpture Symposium 2025 with 30 Artists from 23 Countries
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Riyadh Art Announces Tuwaiq Int’l Sculpture Symposium 2025 with 30 Artists from 23 Countries

Riyadh Art Announces Tuwaiq Int’l Sculpture Symposium 2025 with 30 Artists from 23 Countries

The Riyadh Art Program announced the participating artists for the 6th Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

The event, set to take place at ROSHN Waterfront (RWF), will run from January 15 to February 8, under the theme "From Time to Time: The Pleasure of the Journey in Its Difficulties." A follow-up exhibition showcasing the completed sculptures will be held from February 12 to 24.

A flagship project of the Riyadh Art Program, launched on March 19, 2019, the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium seeks to foster artistic and cultural exchange through community partnerships, workshops, panel discussions, and various activities. It also aims to integrate artistic practices into the cultural landscape of Riyadh.

The registration period for the symposium's sixth edition drew significant global interest, with more than 750 applications submitted from 80 countries. An independent committee of art and sculpture experts evaluated the submissions, ultimately selecting 30 artists from 23 countries to create public art sculptures using locally sourced stones, further enriching Riyadh’s cultural fabric.

The sixth edition will be curated by architect and artist Sebastián Betancur-Montoya and sculpture specialist Dr. Manal Al-Harbi.

Betancur-Montoya remarked: "We celebrate the constant challenges faced by artists this year. These challenges are a major source of inspiration, allowing everyone to create a legacy that bridges the past, present, and future in innovative and humane ways."

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Sumo to Stage Event in Paris as Part of Global Push

People gather at the entrance of Ryogoku Kokugikan for the arrival of sumo wrestlers during the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on January 19, 2025. (AFP)
People gather at the entrance of Ryogoku Kokugikan for the arrival of sumo wrestlers during the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on January 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Sumo to Stage Event in Paris as Part of Global Push

People gather at the entrance of Ryogoku Kokugikan for the arrival of sumo wrestlers during the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on January 19, 2025. (AFP)
People gather at the entrance of Ryogoku Kokugikan for the arrival of sumo wrestlers during the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on January 19, 2025. (AFP)

Sumo will stage a tournament in Paris for the first time in over three decades next year in a push to expand the ancient sport beyond Japan, organizers said Sunday.

Accor Arena, which hosted basketball and gymnastics events at last year's Paris Olympics, will stage a two-day competition featuring top wrestlers in the French capital in June 2026.

Japan Sumo Association (JSA) officials announced last month that they will also stage a tournament later this year at London's Royal Albert Hall -- the first overseas sumo competition in 20 years.

"It's important for us to show our sport to the world," JSA chairman Hakkaku told reporters at Tokyo's Kokugikan, where the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament is currently taking place.

"And for the wrestlers, they're the best in the world, they should be proud of that and see that they're admired all over the world."

Paris hosted sumo tournaments in 1986 and 1995 at the invitation of former French president Jacques Chirac, who was known to be a huge fan of the centuries-old sport.

Hakkaku, who competed at the 1986 Paris event, said he was "grateful for the long and deep relations between sumo and France".

"We feel renewed joy and great responsibility as we prepare for our third performance in Paris in 2026," he said.

"We are committed to fully sharing the charm of sumo... with the French people."

French organizers said they would pull out all the stops to recreate the atmosphere of a sumo tournament in Japan.

David Rothschild, promoter and executive producer for events organizers AEG, said the Paris tournament would be part of a "festival" celebrating Japanese culture.

"When you say the word sumo, everyone in France knows it represents traditional Japanese culture," he said.

"There was a time when it was shown on TV and there are people in France who are very knowledgeable about it," Rothschild added.

"But time flies and we want to introduce the beauty of sumo to a new generation."

Sumo has staged events in several countries around the world, including the Soviet Union, Mexico and the United States.

The last overseas tournament organized by the JSA was in Las Vegas in 2005.

Hakkaku, the JSA chairman, said the association's efforts to bring sumo to audiences abroad were meant to "introduce people to the traditional culture of Japan".

"We thought a lot about how to develop our sport after Covid and I think this was the best idea, but it was already in our plans before that," he said.