Desert X AlUla 2020
The 2020 exhibit, co-curated by Saudi curators Raneem Farsi and Aya Alireza with Desert X Artistic Director Neville Wakefield, embraced AlUla’s extraordinary environment and rich cultural heritage. As the first-ever Desert X exhibition outside of the United States and the first site-responsive exhibition of its kind in Saudi Arabia, it opened up and established a cross-cultural dialogue between local and regional artists and artists from previous iterations of Desert X in California.
Visitors streamed into the desert, surrounded by magnificent stretches of sand, towering sandstone cliffs and huge rocks. The 14 featured works displayed each artists’ interpretation of the desert, made especially for AlUla. The large-scale installations related to the environment, evoked the region’s unique desert culture and immersed visitors in new and inventive ways.
Desert X AlUla 2020 Exhibiting Artists 1- 8 OF 14

SUPERFLEX “ONE TWO THREE SWING!”

LITA ALBUQUERQUE “NAJMA (SHE PLACED ONE THOUSAND SUNS OVER THE TRANSPARENT OVERLAYS OF SPACE)”

GISELA COLON “The Future is Now”

MOHAMMED AHMED IBRAHIM “FALLING STONES GARDEN”

NADIM KARAM “On Parade”

WAEL SHAWKY “DICTUMS: MANQIA II”

RAYYANE TABET “STEEL RINGS,” FROM THE SERIES “THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS”

MUHANNAD SHONO “THE LOST PATH”
Desert X AlUla 2020 Exhibiting Artists 9-14 OF 14

MANAL ALDOWAYAN “NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T”

ZAHRAH ALGHAMDI “GLIMPSES OF THE PAST”

NASSER AL-SALEM “AMMA QABL”

RASHED AL SHASHAI “A CONCISE PASSAGE”

"SHERIN GUIRGUIS " “KHOLKHAL ALIAA”

EL SEED “MIRAGE”

DESERT X ALULA
In early 2020, Desert X had its inaugural exhibition in AlUla, and the beginning of Desert X AlUla. After an enormous positive response, Desert X AlUla became a recurring exhibition showcasing local, regional and international artists. Follow the link to learn more about past exhibitions.
AlUla Arts Festival Highlights

AlJadidah

Desert X AlUla 2022

Path Of Poets

What Lies Within

AlUla Performing Arts Festival

ALULA ARTIST RESIDENCY: THE OASIS REBORN EXHIBITION

Barzan Living Gardens

Remote AlUla

Cinema ElHoush

Cortona On The Move
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