AlUla, a region steeped in history and cultural significance, is on the brink of a cultural renaissance, with various institutions and initiatives like the Maraya Arts Center and Desert X AlUla poised to enrich its artistic landscape. Among these, the not-yet-opened Villa Hegra stands out not only for its ambitious vision but also for its unique approach to cultural exchange and community engagement.
The seeds of Villa Hegra were sown from a high-profile meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 after a discussion about the Louvre Abu Dhabi. This led to a formal intergovernmental agreement signed in 2018, and the establishment of the first Saudi-French cultural institution in 2021, marking the inception of Villa Hegra.
“The DNA of Villa Hegra is basically everything related to dialogue between Saudi Arabia and France,” Feriel Fodil, the CEO of Villa Hegra, tells MILLE. “It’s envisioned as a multifaceted cultural hub, serving both as an artist residency and research center, and as a cultural center promoting a global dialogue, particularly between Saudi and French artists. With a strong local focus, our goal is to enrich community life by offering training and exposure to everything related to the arts. We are committed to engaging the community with a diverse range of programs designed to inspire and uplift the local residents,” she explains.
More than just a physical space, the villa is a conduit for cultural and creative dialogues between Saudi and French artists. Inspired by the historic French tradition of establishing villas as cultural hubs—like Villa Medici in Rome, a historic building and garden complex, which has assumed its role as the seat of the French Academy in Rome since 1803. This institution has been crucial in nurturing artistic talent, offering residencies to French artists to study, get inspired, and create. Villa Hegra aims to serve as a modern-day equivalent, fostering artistic exchange and inspiration between Saudi Arabia and France. The villa, part of a network of 12 global French cultural institutions that span continents, is designed to be a dual-local and global cultural epicenter, offering artist and research residencies as well as a comprehensive cultural center that includes libraries, an exhibition space, an apartment hotel, a school, two auditoriums, a cinema, and studios for various arts within its 24,000 square meters. The space will be made up of three buildings— the International College for Tourism and Hospitality (ICTH), the artist residency apartments, and the villa itself.
Situated near the ancient site of the UNESCO-protected Hegra, where the villa draws its name from (“because it is the most emblematic site in AlUla” according to the CEO), the architectural concept of Villa Hegra is designed by Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, recipients of the 2021 Pritzker architecture Prize, who were selected by a Franco-Saudi jury chaired by the architect Jean Nouvel from among five candidate teams.
Villa Hegra is designed to bridge two key aspects of AlUla’s environment: the urban area and the oasis. In doing so, its positioning and architectural design reflect the historical seasonal migration patterns of AlUla’s residents, who traditionally inhabited the urban old town during the winter and moved to the palm-grove-encircled farms for the summer months. The structure is envisioned in raw materials—steel, glass, and concrete—echoing the rugged beauty of its desert surroundings. The design will incorporate a lush garden with 800 palm trees, alongside other vegetal native species growing in AlUla, creating an oasis that mirrors the villa’s surroundings. The construction, set to start in 2025, aims to integrate with the local landscape while serving as the first artwork of the institution.
Before its official opening, Villa Hegra is already buzzing with activity, despite its physical completion slated for 2026, with various pre-opening programs that will be soon housed in a temporary location set to open in October 2024. These initiatives include artist residencies and a cultural center designed to not only to set the stage for its future impact, but also engage the community and build momentum towards the grand opening. “We are establishing a temporary venue in two traditional houses from the 1970s, allowing us to initiate activities well ahead of our main site’s launch at the end of 2026,” explains Fodil. “One building will be dedicated to artist residencies, mirroring the functions of the main villa, while the other will serve as a cultural center for the community. This setup includes an auditorium, workshops for children, and studios for dance and music. This will be the space where our pre-opening programs come to life,” she added.
The inaugural curatorial program features collaborative art projects involving renowned artists from both Saudi Arabia and France, emphasizing the villa’s role in fostering international artistic collaboration. The highlight of the first cycle of the pre-opening phase— co-curated by Wejdan Reda and Arnaud Morand— is the commissioning of a site-responsive installation by Saudi-American visual and performance artist Sarah Brahim and French artist Ugo Schiavi. This collaboration involves extensive research and engagement with a variety of scientific disciplines, resulting in artworks that are deeply embedded in the cultural and spiritual heritage of the region. Their joint effort is a celebration of the shared creative spirit that Villa Hegra aims to cultivate.
The second initiative, “Art Retreat,” offers a short-stay, exploratory experience designed as a discovery trip. This program features a distinguished pair of artists—Abdulrahman Alsoliman, one of Saudi Arabia’s most celebrated artists, and Théo Mercier, a renowned French visual artist and stage director, who were invited to explore AlUla. This project provides them with a platform to draw inspiration from the ancient landscapes and integrate their experiences into their artistic processes.
Villa Hegra is poised to play a pivotal role in transforming AlUla into a premier cultural hub. While many institutions in the region aim to attract international tourists and art connoisseurs, Villa Hegra places a strong emphasis on local community engagement. The institution plans to engage deeply with the local community, particularly focusing on youth and families, to foster a lasting interest in the arts. For instance, last November, Villa Hegra presented a week of cinema concerts (“Ciné-concerts” in French) in partnership with Forum des Images, a Parisian cultural institution established in 1988, dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and exhibition of audiovisual heritage, titled “My Little Planet Earth!” designed for children and families. By combining international collaborations with local cultural education, Villa Hegra aims to cultivate a rich, artistic environment that resonates with and uplifts the community. “We want to create a welcome space for families. Families are pivotal; they bring children of all ages, from teenagers to toddlers. Imagine a child inspired to take up music after watching a performance at our venue—this is the heart of our mission. We aim to nurture the artistic dreams of the younger generation, which is why we emphasize programs designed for children,” Fodil says.
“We are currently in the experimental phase at Villa Hegra, actively testing and learning. We implement initiatives to see what resonates; if successful, we proceed, and if not, we adapt or discontinue,” she continued. “The community’s involvement is crucial for grounding the villa’s presence, so our aim is to progressively escalate activities leading up to the official opening. Additionally, we are placing a strong emphasis on research, aspiring to develop a research program as a cornerstone of Villa Hegra’s offerings. Alongside this, we are expanding our training in the performing arts— performing arts is really key,” she shares of what to expect from Villa Hegra when it opens.
The core of Villa Hegra’s mission extends beyond its architectural feats and international collaborations. At its heart, it seeks to become a cornerstone of the local community in AlUla by making art accessible and relevant to its residents. The emphasis on educational programs and community involvement is designed to ignite a passion for the arts among the youth, ensuring that the villa’s impact will resonate well into the future. “If we manage to introduce art in an educational way, then we have succeeded,” shares Fodil. “We can’t build a destination only by bringing international artists— It has to have roots and we have to uplift communities.”
