Gearing up towards its third edition, Noor Riyadh, a celebration of the myriad of projections of light, is set to make its much-awaited comeback this November.
The world’s largest light art festival will run from Nov. 30 to Dec. 16, 2023, making its exciting comeback for the third year in a row in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a wide captivating range of installations, building projections, and engaging performances all around the city, turning Riyadh into a life-size canvas of creativity and wonder, where visitors and residents alike will be able to immerse themselves in a mesmerizing symphony of colors, shapes, and ensuing narratives.
This year’s iteration of the Guinness world record-breaking event is being curated by French artistic director and art critic Jerome Sans; Saudi artist, architect, urban designer, and researcher Fahd Bin Naif; former Athr Gallery director Alaa Tarabzouni; as well as independent Boston-based curator Pedro Alonzo. Noor Riyadh 2023 will feature over 120 pieces of work, produced by 100 different artists, from which more than 35 are from the Kingdom, under the theme of “The Bright Side of the Desert Moon.”
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
“Under the guidance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, our dedication to culture and the arts has opened doors for creative expression. The participation of renowned global light artists in Noor Riyadh echoes our united vision. As we approach our third edition, we look forward to continuing Riyadh Art’s mission to turn the city into a dazzling gallery without walls and to ensure that art is for everyone,” shared HH Prince Badr bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture, Board Member of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Riyadh Art Program, about the upcoming festival.
Taking place simultaneously, a stand-alone exhibition, titled “Refracting Identities, Shared Futures,” spearheaded by guest curator Neville Wakefield, who is returning to lead the curation of the show alongside Maya Al Athel, will also be making its way to Jax District from Nov. 30, 2023, to March 2, 2024, and is expected to explore other thought-provoking themes through an array of immersive artworks.
Meticulously conceived with the aim of nurturing both local and international talents, while placing the onus on further developing Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector, the annual city-wide initiative falls under Riyadh Art’s greater efforts to transform the metropolis into a “gallery without walls” with more than 1,000 public art installations regularly seen punctuating the Gulf State’s calendars through 10 programs and two annual events— one of which is Noor Riyadh.
With last year’s edition having managed to attract close to three million visitors while breaking six Guinness World Records along the way, Noor Riyadh is set to once again capture the region, and world’s, attention with its dazzling displays of light and art, promising an even more extraordinary experience that will adamantly leave visitors in awe and profoundly inspired by the intersection of creativity and innovation.
