The AlUla Artist Residency Programme was founded in 2021 as a collaboration between the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and the French Agency for AlUla Development (Afalula). Its aim was to bring together artists with diverse backgrounds, techniques and mediums and invite them to immerse themselves in the rich culture, history and community of AlUla.
Madrasat Addeera – AlUla’s Arts and Design Centre – will host a presentation of the residency programme to date including photography and video footage of the artists who have taken part. Mabiti – a guest house and home to the programme – will be the venue for an exhibition showcasing the processes and outcomes of the 2023 artists in residence in dialogue with artists from the 2022 residency.
Meet The Artists
Jan - Mar 2023 Residency Artist
Agnieszka Kurant
Polish artist Agnieszka Kurant’s interdisciplinary oeuvre spans installation, sculpture, and film. Residing at an intersection of art and science, her largely conceptual body of work explores how complex social and cultural systems can operate in ways that confuse distinctions between fiction and reality.
Jan - Mar 2023 Residency Artist
Ayman Zedani
Through videos, installations and immersive environments, Ayman Zedani explores interactions between humans and non-human worlds. He intertwines his interest in the Gulf region with his investigative practices, invites audiences to observe symbioses between species, and creates narratives open to many interpretations.
Jan - Mar 2023 Residency Artist
Ben Elliot
Ben Elliot is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work encompasses digital media, video, installation, and painting. He addresses contemporary themes such as the impact of emerging technologies, the rise of influence marketing, and the formation of socioeconomic trends.
Jan - Mar 2023 Residency Artist
Bricklab
Bricklab is a Jeddah-based architecture studio co-founded by brothers Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz. Their practice probes the boundaries between art, material research, and built environments and merges technical mastery with conceptual rigour and interdisciplinary design.
Jan - Mar 2023 Residency Artist
Manon Wertenbroek
Manon’s work ties together two seemingly disparate dimensions of artistic inquiry. On one hand she explores the human body and its capacity to betray our identity and past. On the other, her affection for techniques and materials drives her to give equal attention to the skills she employs in transforming them.
Jan - Mar 2023 Residency Artist
Monira Al Qadiri
Monira Al Qadiri has always been fascinated by the history and archaeology of the Gulf region, particularly of Saudi Arabia where part of her family originates. Monira creates sculptures, installations, videos, and performances exploring the region’s staggering urban and economic development over the last decades.
2021 - 2022
AlUla Artist Residency
Six artists from different backgrounds and nationalities participated in the first AlUla Artist Residency: Rashed AlShashai, Sara Favriau, Talin Hazbar, Laura Sellies, Muhannad Shono, and Sofiane Si Merabet.
Six new artists with diverse backgrounds and practices are encouraged to bring together a multitude of cultures and media, including visual art, installation, and, for the first time, photography, poetry, and film.
Take a journey into both AlUla’s distant and recent past. Explore a rich cultural heritage through its ancient sites, historic dwellings, and preserved tombs that span thousands of years of human civilisation.
A DESERT OASIS BECKONS NATURAL WONDERS
Nature & Outdoors
From mazes of dramatic rock to rolling sand-swept dunes, a valley swathed in citrus groves to millennia-old basalt lava flows, AlUla’s spectacular landscape invites you to wander and connect with its wealth of natural beauty.
Thrilling experiences and outdoor excursions
Adventure
Whether its zip-ling through mountain ranges, taking to the skies in a hot air balloon, or gazing up at the constellations, AlUla offers adventures and activities from the thrilling to the awe-inspiring.
From contemporary artists creating pieces made for the stunning desert backdrop to local artisans continuing the tradition of ancient handicrafts, the spirit of creativity and ingenuity can be discovered in every corner of AlUla.
