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Arts AlUla Unveils Vision for Contemporary Art Museum with 'Arduna' Exhibition Launch

The Arduna exhibition features over 80 artworks from Saudi, regional, and international artists. (SPA)
The Arduna exhibition features over 80 artworks from Saudi, regional, and international artists. (SPA)
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Arts AlUla Unveils Vision for Contemporary Art Museum with 'Arduna' Exhibition Launch

The Arduna exhibition features over 80 artworks from Saudi, regional, and international artists. (SPA)
The Arduna exhibition features over 80 artworks from Saudi, regional, and international artists. (SPA)

Arts AlUla has inaugurated the Arduna (Our Land) exhibition as part of the fifth AlUla Arts Festival 2026. The initiative marks a new chapter in AlUla’s artistic journey and offers a glimpse into the future vision of the Contemporary Art Museum of AlUla, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

At the opening, the Contemporary Art Museum of AlUla's name and vision were announced, aiming to boost AlUla’s presence in the global art scene and establish it as a hub for contemporary cultural dialogue, rooted in its rich heritage. The museum is scheduled to open at a later date.

Developed in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, the Arduna exhibition serves as a preparatory showcase for the museum, providing insights into its philosophy and anticipated cultural role through research-driven themes.

The museum will bridge cultural heritage with contemporary artistic practices, acting as a platform for exhibitions, art commissions, research, and residency programs. This ecosystem will foster artistic knowledge exchange, vital to AlUla’s social and creative landscape.

The Arduna exhibition features over 80 artworks from Saudi, regional, and international artists, reflecting humanity’s evolving relationship with nature. It also includes new commissions inspired by AlUla’s unique landscape, reinterpreted in a contemporary context.

The launch of the exhibition and museum marks a significant milestone in AlUla’s cultural trajectory, underscoring Arts AlUla’s commitment to contemporary arts and cultural exchange.

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Culture

Jeddah to Host Eighth International Conference on Arabic and Literature

Jeddah to Host Eighth International Conference on Arabic and Literature
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Jeddah to Host Eighth International Conference on Arabic and Literature

Jeddah to Host Eighth International Conference on Arabic and Literature

Jeddah will host the eighth International Conference on Arabic and Literature: Language from Communication to Knowledge Innovation and Literary Creativity from February 6 to 8.

The conference is being held for the eighth consecutive year, attracting both local and international participants in a scholarly atmosphere that reflects the organizing committee’s commitment to advancing scientific research and fostering the exchange of knowledge among academics and researchers across various fields of Arabic language and literature.

It will address a wide range of issues that contribute to the advancement and proliferation of the Arabic language and literature. Research presentations will cover diverse topics, enriching scholarly discourse and opening new avenues for study and research in the field, particularly within the context of digital transformation.

Culture

China’s Lunar New Year Travel Rush Kicks off Ahead of an Extra-Long Holiday

A toddler held by a woman looks at the prosperity decorations at a booth for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, at a New Year Bazaar, in Beijing, China, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP)
A toddler held by a woman looks at the prosperity decorations at a booth for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, at a New Year Bazaar, in Beijing, China, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP)
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China’s Lunar New Year Travel Rush Kicks off Ahead of an Extra-Long Holiday

A toddler held by a woman looks at the prosperity decorations at a booth for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, at a New Year Bazaar, in Beijing, China, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP)
A toddler held by a woman looks at the prosperity decorations at a booth for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, at a New Year Bazaar, in Beijing, China, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP)

China's annual Spring Festival travel rush, a 40-day period commonly referred to as the world's largest annual human migration, kicked off on Monday ahead of ​an extended Lunar New Year holiday.

This year's Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac, falls on February 17 and will be accompanied by an extra-long nine-day public holiday in China, running from February 15 to 23.

It's hoped a longer holiday (last year's break was eight days long) might prompt Chinese consumers to boost consumption by ‌spending more on ‌travel, meals and more this festival ‌period.

Many ⁠Chinese ​consumers ‌have been shaken by the country's uncertain economic outlook and would rather save than spend. Homeowners have seen their assets depreciate in a years-long property market slump, while weaker growth momentum since the pandemic has added to job insecurity.

This said, a state planning official said last week that China expects a record 9.5 billion passenger trips ⁠to be made during the travel period, surpassing the 9.02 billion trips made last year.

"Why ‌do I feel it's even more ‍stressful to buy tickets ‍this year compared to last year? For example, the flight back ‍to my home is already sold out," said 32-year-old Liu, a traveler flying out of Guangzhou airport on Monday. "If you don't buy early, the price range fluctuates a lot, and can even double."

Major travel platforms ​reported Lunar New Year bookings for 2026 already surpassing last year's levels. According to data from Flight Master, as ⁠of mid-January, bookings for domestic flights during the holiday exceeded 4.13 million, up about 21 percent year-on-year.

Popular outbound destinations are concentrated in Southeast Asia, with those flights accounting for nearly 50% of the total and Thailand among the leading destinations.

Following a geo-political spat between China and Japan late last year, routes to Japan have dropped sharply, down over 40%, according to Flight Master.

Domestically, culturally rich "intangible heritage towns", such as such as Huangshan in Anhui, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, Quanzhou in Fujian, Foshan in Guangdong and Zigong in Sichuan have emerged ‌as popular destinations, according to data from online travel agency Qunar.

Culture

Saudi Museums Commission Signs Executive Program to Strengthen Cultural Cooperation

Officials are seen at the signing ceremony at Diriyah Art Futures. (SPA)
Officials are seen at the signing ceremony at Diriyah Art Futures. (SPA)
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Saudi Museums Commission Signs Executive Program to Strengthen Cultural Cooperation

Officials are seen at the signing ceremony at Diriyah Art Futures. (SPA)
Officials are seen at the signing ceremony at Diriyah Art Futures. (SPA)

The Saudi Museums Commission, one of the 11 sector-specific commissions of the Saudi Ministry of Culture, signed an executive program with the Centre national d'art et de culture – Georges Pompidou (Centre Pompidou), France, to establish cooperation in the field of museums, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

The signing ceremony took place at Diriyah Art Futures, the MENA region’s first center dedicated to New Media Arts.

The executive program establishes a framework for cultural exchange and collaboration between the Museums Commission and one of the world’s leading institutions for modern and contemporary art.

Through this partnership, both parties will work together to advance the development of Saudi Arabia’s museums sector while fostering cross-cultural dialogue and knowledge exchange.

The partnership establishes cooperation in three key areas: loans of selected modern and contemporary artworks from Centre Pompidou to Museums Commission collections; co-curation of modern and contemporary art exhibitions, as well as cultural and public programs or events across Museums Commission assets; and exchange in research, editorial content, and publications, including exhibition catalogues, digital content, and archives.

The collaboration reflects the Museums Commission’s commitment to building international partnerships that facilitate the exchange of ideas, experience, and knowledge.

The signing of the executive program at Diriyah Art Futures underscores the venue’s role as a space for international dialogue and collaboration in contemporary art practices. As the region’s first institution dedicated to New Media and Digital Arts, Diriyah Art Futures exemplifies the Ministry of Culture’s vision to establish Saudi Arabia at the forefront of artistic innovation and global cultural exchange.