The Visual Arts Commission (VAC) announced today that its Art & Ideas (Dialogues in Contemporary Art) program will return for a new season, fostering dialogue and innovation in the visual arts by engaging with cultural centers in Seoul, Paris, and Riyadh.
On September 5, during Frieze Seoul Week, Art & Ideas will host two public dialogues in Seoul. The sessions will bring together leading speakers from Saudi Arabia and Korea to explore how their cities are becoming visionary cultural capitals. Discussions will focus on building creative economies within a global cultural framework, with input from artists, curators, and thought leaders, SPA reported.
On October 21, during Asia NOW, Art & Ideas will host a public talk and a live performance in Paris. The talk will bring together leading curators to discuss the intersection of West and East Asian art and how new models, such as Art Week Riyadh, are shaping the sector.
The event will also feature the premiere of a new performance by Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi, titled "Ghosts of Today and Tomorrow," a sound-light activation that explores memory, tradition, and futurity.
The 2025 Art & Ideas season will culminate with a flagship two-day symposium in Riyadh on November 7-8. The event will map the intellectual landscape of the region’s visual arts through six major panels addressing urgent topics such as Saudi art history, technology, contemporary thought, education, and grassroots innovation.
Moderated by both Saudi and international figures, the symposium will bring together a diverse group of sector leaders. The event is designed to serve as both a platform for mentorship and an open forum to explore the intersection of theory and action in the arts.
Visual Arts Commission CEO Dina Amin said: “We envision Arts & Ideas as a platform to engage practitioners from Saudi Arabia with different cultures through these talks, fostering opportunities for discovery, curiosity, and creativity exchange. We are committed to connecting the visual arts professionals of the Kingdom to their peers around the world as part of our mission to promote dialogue and build a sustainable arts community.”
Rooted in the Kingdom’s ambition to catalyze deep and sustainable change in the arts and culture, Art & Ideas champions plurality, experimentation, and global connection.
By convening artists, curators, technologists, educators, and visionaries, Art & Ideas foregrounds the pressing ideas and the lived experiences that will define the importance and legacy of the visual arts in a fast-changing world.
The program is developed in partnership with curators Shumon Basar, Aya Mousawi, and Arnaud Morand.
