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Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour Dies at 79

Painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour and his landmark 1973 painting, "Camel of Hardships". (Sliman Mansour on Instagram)
Painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour and his landmark 1973 painting, "Camel of Hardships". (Sliman Mansour on Instagram)
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Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour Dies at 79

Painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour and his landmark 1973 painting, "Camel of Hardships". (Sliman Mansour on Instagram)
Painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour and his landmark 1973 painting, "Camel of Hardships". (Sliman Mansour on Instagram)

Painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour, one of the most prominent names in Palestinian art, has died at the age of 79, his family announced.

Mansour, whose vivid artwork depicted both Palestinian traditions and his people's struggles under Israeli occupation, died on Monday at his home in east Jerusalem, his family said.

"The final chapter has been written. With hearts gripped by sorrow beyond description, we announce that our dear father has left this world," the family said in a statement.

"For the world, he leaves behind a life filled with beauty and memories, and a legacy that will continue through everyone whose lives he touched. As for us, we have lost a father who was the source of our love, our strength and our refuge."

Mansour was born in Birzeit, north of Ramallah, in 1947 and studied art and design in Jerusalem, graduating in 1970.

The Palestinian Culture Ministry mourned Mansour, calling him "one of the most important pillars of contemporary Palestinian visual art, whose career over decades formed part of the Palestinian visual and national memory".

The ministry hailed his landmark 1973 painting, "Camel of Hardships", depicting an elderly Palestinian porter carrying the city of Jerusalem on his back, as "an artistic and national icon", adding that his work served "as witness to Palestinian history and guardian of identity".

Mansour was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture in 2019.

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Culture

Security and History Dialogue 2026 Kicks Off in Riyadh with over 160 Speakers

The Security and History Dialogue 2026 conference begins Sunday in Riyadh with more than 160 speakers from within the Kingdom and abroad. (SPA)
The Security and History Dialogue 2026 conference begins Sunday in Riyadh with more than 160 speakers from within the Kingdom and abroad. (SPA)
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Security and History Dialogue 2026 Kicks Off in Riyadh with over 160 Speakers

The Security and History Dialogue 2026 conference begins Sunday in Riyadh with more than 160 speakers from within the Kingdom and abroad. (SPA)
The Security and History Dialogue 2026 conference begins Sunday in Riyadh with more than 160 speakers from within the Kingdom and abroad. (SPA)

Under the patronage of Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Security and History Dialogue 2026 conference begins Sunday in Riyadh with more than 160 speakers from within the Kingdom and abroad, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The conference is organized by the Ministry of Interior and themed Our History and Our Future: Security and Growth.

Running through September 8, the conference, a national platform for dialogue and intellectual and historical exchange, will review Saudi Arabia's journey in the fields of security and growth.

It will explore the Kingdom's experience and transformations from various perspectives, including security, politics, economy, society, culture, national identity, awareness, international relations, and institution building.

The conference program includes more than 65 dialogue sessions and interactive meetings, with the participation of more than 30 entities. It is expected to attract more than 5,000 visitors.

The program will address a range of topics, including the history of the Kingdom and the roots of its security; the personality of Founding King Abdulaziz; citizenship, identity, and national heritage; the Kingdom's role in security and peace; the future of security capabilities and international partnerships; artificial intelligence and future security; and the role of women, family, citizens, media, and security sectors in promoting awareness and stability.

It will also review local and international experiences and perspectives related to the Kingdom's history and transformations.

Culture

Red Sea Museum Concludes Six-Month 'Sunken Treasures' Exhibition

The galleries showcased underwater archaeological discoveries and Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to protect and document submerged cultural assets - SPA
The galleries showcased underwater archaeological discoveries and Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to protect and document submerged cultural assets - SPA
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Red Sea Museum Concludes Six-Month 'Sunken Treasures' Exhibition

The galleries showcased underwater archaeological discoveries and Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to protect and document submerged cultural assets - SPA
The galleries showcased underwater archaeological discoveries and Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to protect and document submerged cultural assets - SPA

The "Sunken Treasures: The Maritime Heritage of the Red Sea" exhibition concluded its six-month run at the Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah, offering visitors an educational journey into centuries of maritime trade, navigation, and pilgrimage.

Housed at the historic Bab Al-Bunt building since February 25, the exhibition highlighted the Red Sea's historical role as a vital trade artery connecting the Arabian Peninsula with the Mediterranean, Africa, and Asia.

Structured across four thematic zones, the galleries showcased underwater archaeological discoveries and Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to protect and document submerged cultural assets, SPA reported.

Among the exhibition's centerpiece displays was the 18th-century Umluj shipwreck, discovered submerged 20 to 22 meters deep amid coral reefs. Its recovered cargo—including commercial containers, pottery, coins, ceramics, and daily shipboard tools alongside antique navigational instruments and nautical maps—illustrated the vibrant human exchange that traversed regional waters.

Organized in collaboration with the Heritage Commission and the Historic Jeddah Program, the exhibition was also part of the summer season's cultural offerings, combining interactive public programming with scientific research to bolster cultural tourism and raise awareness of the Kingdom's underwater heritage.

Culture

Diriyah Art Futures Opens Second Edition of 'CONTINUUM' Exhibition

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) launched its latest exhibition CONTINUUM ’26 on Thursday, showcasing the works of its second cohort of emerging artists and the program’s mentors. (SPA)
Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) launched its latest exhibition CONTINUUM ’26 on Thursday, showcasing the works of its second cohort of emerging artists and the program’s mentors. (SPA)
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Diriyah Art Futures Opens Second Edition of 'CONTINUUM' Exhibition

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) launched its latest exhibition CONTINUUM ’26 on Thursday, showcasing the works of its second cohort of emerging artists and the program’s mentors. (SPA)
Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) launched its latest exhibition CONTINUUM ’26 on Thursday, showcasing the works of its second cohort of emerging artists and the program’s mentors. (SPA)

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the first center for New Media Arts in the Middle East and North Africa, launched its latest exhibition CONTINUUM ’26 on Thursday, showcasing the works of its second cohort of emerging artists and the program’s mentors.

Visitors explored a diverse range of cutting-edge technological media, including immersive and multimedia installations, light, sound, moving image, virtual reality, mixed reality, and AI-generated projects, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

CONTINUUM ’26 features artworks produced by 16 emerging artists and two mentors during DAF’s year-long Emerging New Media Artists Program. Curated by Irini Papadimitriou and Bushra Alghamdi, Assistant Curator, the exhibition explores questions surrounding memory, identity, place, belonging, repetition, and interspecies relationships.

Developed under the mentorship of artists Louis-Philippe Demers and Rick Treweek, the artworks explore the boundaries between the real and the artificial, human and artificial intelligence, the organic and synthetic.

Speaking at the exhibition launch, CEO of the Museums Commission Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Hammad said: “Programs like the Emerging New Media Artists Program represent the long-term, deliberate investment needed to shape the future of the Kingdom's museum sector.

“By providing our artists with world-class facilities, mentorship, and the dedicated time to refine their craft, we are fueling innovation and sparking vital cultural conversations. CONTINUUM 26 brings a full year of that dedication into the public eye.”

The opening program kicked off with a panel conversation between exhibition artists Noel Apitta, Njood Albwardi, Badriya Alsalem, and Harpreet Sareen, in conversation with Bushra Alghamdi about the ideas behind their works in CONTINUUM '26.

The artists discussed the exhibition's themes – the power of artificial intelligence; memory and time; and embodied perception – exploring how each artist navigated their creative process and what questions drove them.

CONTINUUM ’26 is the second installment in a series of exhibitions at DAF, spotlighting diverse voices shaping the future of New Media Art in the region and beyond.

Developed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains in France, the Emerging New Media Artists Program gives emerging artists access to cutting-edge professional equipment and a production budget, as well as a wide range of multidisciplinary learning opportunities.

CONTINUUM ’26 is open to the public at Diriyah Art Futures and runs until November 7. The exhibition is accompanied by a public program of workshops, talks and other activities spanning AI, VR, digital photography, and much more.

Meet the Artists: an invitation to encounter the works of CONTINUUM '26 through the perspectives of the artists who made them. Over the opening weekend, artists will discuss the ideas and processes behind their works with visitors.