Wadi AlFann, or “Valley of the Arts” truly is the culmination of art, nature, the cosmos with the land being the protagonist. As part of the AlUla Arts Festival 2025, Wadi AlFann opened an exhibition dedicated to James Turrell, the legendary light and space artist. Running until April 19, 2025, the exhibition, curated by Michael Govan (CEO of LACMA), gives visitors a deep dive into Turrell’s mastery of light, space, and color, and includes a rare preview of his upcoming monumental Land Art installation in AlUla.
Wadi AlFann is an open-air museum that will enclave five major land art commissions, each existing in its own world and are designed to last hundreds of years, making AlUla a permanent landmark in contemporary art. Turrell’s vision for this space is a network of chambers carved into the canyon floor, where visitors can navigate through tunnels and stairways, experiencing light in its purest form. It’s about feeling the weight of the sky, the glow of shifting hues, and the way light shapes our perception of space.
Turrell’s work is deeply connected to geometry, light, and astrology, themes that resonate profoundly with Islamic art and philosophy. The interplay of light and shadow are a reflection of the fundamental building blocks of nature and the way we perceive the universe. His installation at Wadi AlFann is a summary of his 50-year career, exploring the way light alters human perception. In this landscape, he recreates the sensation of snow blindness, using vast expanses of shifting color and controlled light to disorient and immerse the viewer. Or as Turrell puts it, “No cars, no distractions—just 75 km of hiking trails leading to a space where sky, land, and light become one. The crisp, dry air of the desert makes the experience of light unlike anywhere else on Earth.”
In AlJadidah Arts District, visitors can explore some of Turrell’s most iconic works, like Alta (1968), which transforms a dark corner into a luminous three-dimensional form, and Jubilee (2021), a hypnotic glass screen that shifts between crimson and icy blue. Other highlights include the Magnatron series, inspired by the flickering glow of TV screens, and the Hologram series, which creates geometric light forms that seem to float in mid-air.
Wadi AlFann will also commission monumental works by Manal AlDowayan, Agnes Denes, Michael Heizer, and Ahmed Mater. The works will be inspired by the region’s history and natural beauty. Denes uses geometry to explore themes of time and philosophy, while Heizer treats the desert as his canvas, etching a petroglyph in bronze. AlDowayan is recreating a modern reflection of AlUla’s ancient city, and Mater plays with optical illusion in an above-ground mirage, inspired by Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham), the scientist who first theorized that we see with our brain, not just our eyes.
“This exhibition isn’t just about James Turrell—it’s about putting AlUla on the global art map,” says Nora Aldabal, Director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla. “We’re showcasing how contemporary art can engage with history and nature in ways the world has never seen before.”
AlUla’s vast desert, dramatic sandstone formations, and endless skies, makes it the perfect home for Turrell’s work and the ultimate backdrop for an artist whose work explores the very essence of perception, light, and space.
