عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
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)
TT
TT

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.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

Cultural Development Fund Signs SAR39 Million Agreement with Rotana

The agreement covers the production of films and television series spanning social comedy, drama, and action - SPA
The agreement covers the production of films and television series spanning social comedy, drama, and action - SPA
TT
TT

Cultural Development Fund Signs SAR39 Million Agreement with Rotana

The agreement covers the production of films and television series spanning social comedy, drama, and action - SPA
The agreement covers the production of films and television series spanning social comedy, drama, and action - SPA

The Cultural Development Fund has signed a financing agreement with Rotana Media Group to support the production of films and television series with a combined value exceeding SAR39 million. The agreement aims to provide Saudi talent with greater presence on screen and support the growth of the film industry in Saudi Arabia.

The agreement covers the production of films and television series spanning social comedy, drama, and action. A number of prominent Saudi actors will star in these productions, which are expected to contribute more than SAR72 million to gross domestic product and create 68 job opportunities to support national talent. Private-sector contributions are also expected to exceed SAR12 million, SPA reported.

The agreement was signed by the Cultural Development Fund in its capacity as a center for financial excellence and empowerment in the cultural sector, in line with the rapid growth of the Kingdom's film sector. Box-office revenues exceeded SAR920 million in 2025, marking an increase of nearly 9% compared with 2024.

Saudi films accounted for about 13% of these revenues, exceeding SAR122 million, through 11 films out of 538 released during the year, according to reports issued by the Film Commission.

These figures reflect the growing presence of local productions and promising opportunities in the sector.

The fund continues to support this growth by providing financial and enabling solutions that empower sector projects and enterprises, encourage private-sector participation, and contribute to sustaining the growth of the cultural sector and enhancing its economic impact.

Culture

Horniman Museum's New Gallery to Open in February

The Nature Gallery hopes to explore people's connection to and reliance on nature (Horniman Museum)
The Nature Gallery hopes to explore people's connection to and reliance on nature (Horniman Museum)
TT
TT

Horniman Museum's New Gallery to Open in February

The Nature Gallery hopes to explore people's connection to and reliance on nature (Horniman Museum)
The Nature Gallery hopes to explore people's connection to and reliance on nature (Horniman Museum)

The Horniman Museum is set to open its new Nature Gallery in February 2027, marking the final phase of the museum's £12.5 million Nature + Love transformation project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The south-east London museum said the fully refurbished space, previously named the Natural History Gallery, had been reimagined to celebrate the variety of life on earth and explore humankind's place within, and impact on nature, according to BBC.

Michael Salter-Church MBE, chairman of the museum, said: “Opening these wonderful new spaces marks the end of the Horniman's extraordinary 125th anniversary year.”

The Nature Gallery will combine more than 2,300 objects from the Horniman's collection, including its famously overstuffed walrus, as well as artist commissions and multisensory activities.

These include a ceiling projection showcasing life on the planet, a display on plastic pollution by a Deptford school and a hands-on nature discovery zone focused on local wildlife.

The museum said the gallery explored human connection to and reliance on nature, stories of extinction and climate change, and ideas about how people can shape the planet's future.

It is one of a number of developments at the Horniman as part of its Nature + Love project, and is being supported by a £30,000 crowdfunding campaign, which has raised more than £14,000 to date.

Culture

Sunken Silk Road City Reveals Central Asia's Lost History

Little is known about the history of the settlement under Kyrgyzstan's largest lake. Vyacheslav OSELEDKO / AFP
Little is known about the history of the settlement under Kyrgyzstan's largest lake. Vyacheslav OSELEDKO / AFP
TT
TT

Sunken Silk Road City Reveals Central Asia's Lost History

Little is known about the history of the settlement under Kyrgyzstan's largest lake. Vyacheslav OSELEDKO / AFP
Little is known about the history of the settlement under Kyrgyzstan's largest lake. Vyacheslav OSELEDKO / AFP

The sun had barely risen, but diving volunteer Elizaveta Bodrova was already raring to plunge into the cold waters of Lake Issyk-Kul, where the ruins of a once-thriving city have lain submerged for centuries.

Situated on an ancient trading route between China and Europe, little is known about the history of the settlement under Kyrgyzstan's largest lake or how it came to be flooded an estimated 800 years ago.

Together with a team of around 20 scientists, Bodrova is helping uncover its past, findings that could shape our understanding of the history of Central Asia and beyond.

"The visibility isn't very good today, but I hope we'll still be able to find the boundary of the settlement," the 42-year-old told AFP with a smile, before hopping off a motorboat into the depths below.

The project, which began in 2024 and is funded by the Russian Academy of Sciences, is the first major exploration of the site since it was rediscovered in the 19th century.

- 'Blind spot' -

The settlement is located at the heart of what was once the Silk Road, a trading route that linked China to the Mediterranean from the 2nd century BC until the mid-15th century.

Although often associated with nomads, what is now Kyrgyzstan has been inhabited by multiple civilizations throughout its history, among them Turkic dynasties that traded between Europe and China.

"This is actually a blind spot in history, even though it is right in the center of Central Asia," expedition director Maxim Menshikov, who was steering the boat, said of the ruins.

"It is a very important chapter in the history of humankind, because it was the period that linked East and West during the Middle Ages. The Silk Road is not merely the history of a single region, it is the history of Eurasia as a whole," he added.

The section of Silk Road that passed through the settlement during its existence is thought to have been under the control of the Karakhanids, a Turkic dynasty that controlled much of Central Asia from the 9th to early 13th centuries.

Researchers believe the city, the name and population of which are not known, may have covered up to five square kilometers (nearly two square miles).

Accurately dating the remains has been difficult.

But traces of two cemeteries discovered at the site suggest they were built during the early Islamization of the region.

Among the discovered remains was a decorated public building, possibly a mosque, public bath or religious school.

- Like 'Pompeii' -

After several hours scouring the lakebed, the divers returned to dry land with their spoils: the remains of animal bones and pottery shards.

"The bones that have been found will enable archaeologists to determine their diet and age of the remains, as well as the diet of the people who lived in this region," said Viktor Pozdnyakov, a diver and laboratory assistant on the expedition team.

"The pottery will enable us to date the finds and determine the approximate period more precisely. And, of course, to understand where it was produced, how and by what method," the 22-year-old added.

Back at base, the artefacts are carefully preserved, catalogued and recorded.

Among those in better condition was a child's chamber pot, known as a "tuvaq".

"In fact, these are still in use today in Central Asia and the Caucasus," said Menshikov, pointing to it as evidence of the daily life in the city.

Although known to researchers since the 19th century, the site has only been systematically explored in recent years by Russian and Kyrgyz teams.

The researchers hope their work will improve understanding of Central Asian history.

"You could compare this research to that of Pompeii," said Menshikov, referring to the largely preserved ruins of an ancient Roman city buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

"They had a highly developed civilization and culture. And in an instant, nature simply destroyed it all," he said.

What submerged the city under Issyk-Kul remains a mystery.

Among the theories is that the settlement sank to the bottom of the lake following a landslide, or that it was gradually flooded by a "tectonic dam" -- a natural damming of a water body that could have occurred following an earthquake.

The probable cause was a "past seismic disaster," said Andrei Strelnikov, a geologist with the Russian Academy of Sciences.