- The Noor Riyadh 2024 Preview Night provided an exclusive first look at the festival’s fourth edition with curated tours at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center and a drone show by United Visual Artists.
- The fourth edition of Noor Riyadh showcases 62 installations by 61 artists from 18 countries, transforming Riyadh into a gallery without walls.
- The festival runs from 28 November to 14 December across three iconic hubs: King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah and the JAX District.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Under the umbrella of Riyadh Art, Noor Riyadh’s 2024 Preview Night illuminated the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, offering a first glimpse at the festival. The evening brought together artists, curators and dignitaries to preview the fourth edition of the world’s largest light art festival, under the theme Light Years Apart.
Following welcome speeches from Architect Khalid Al-Hazani, Executive Director of the Riyadh Art Program, and Nouf AlMoneef, Festival Director of Noor Riyadh, festival curators Dr. Effat Abdullah Fadag and Dr. Alfredo Cramerotti led guests on guided tours of the 18 artworks surrounding Murabba Palace.
London-based artist collective, United Visual Artists, transformed the night sky into a living canvas with a preview of their drone show, Aether. Featuring 1,500 drones, the seven-minute performance explores the silent harmony of the stars and planets as it brings the unseen into view.
The Preview Night set the stage for Noor Riyadh 2024 which officially opens to the public from 28 November to 14 December. The festival turns Riyadh into a citywide gallery across three iconic hubs – the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah and the JAX District – as this year’s edition showcases 62 light-based artworks created by 61 artists from 18 countries.
Noor Riyadh 2024 features 18 Saudi artists and 43 international artists, with representation from Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
Noor Riyadh integrates public art displays with workshops, talks and community events, offering a unique blend of cultural enrichment and creative expression. Noor Riyadh has achieved 14 Guinness World Records, cementing its reputation as the largest and most impactful light art festival in the world.
The festival underscores Riyadh Art’s mission of transforming the Saudi capital into an open-air gallery. Since 2019, the Riyadh Art Program has presented over 500 artworks by more than 500 artists and attracted over six million visitors through its flagship festivals, Noor Riyadh and Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium.
For more details, visit noorriyadh.sa or follow the festival on Instagram at instagram.com/noorriyadhfestival.
For more information regarding Riyadh Art and Noor Riyadh contact:
Riyadh Art Media Center: info@riyadhart.sa
-Notes to editors-
About Noor Riyadh
Noor Riyadh is a citywide annual festival of light and art which launched in March 2021. Noor Riyadh includes a festival and world-class exhibition, along with a public program of community activities, featuring educational workshops, talks and performances. Noor Riyadh is the largest light art festival in the world.
Noor Riyadh combines the highest quality light artworks from leading international and Saudi artists, across the largest city footprint of any light art festival worldwide. Staged under Riyadh Art, the festival aims to nurture local talent and inspire youth to drive Saudi Arabia’s creative economy.
Website: http://noorriyadh.sa
Instagram: @noorriyadhfestival
Twitter: @NoorRiyadhFest
Facebook: @NoorRiyadhFestival
Noor Riyadh is presented by Riyadh Art and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.
| Artist | Country | Artwork title, year | Hub |
| 05.10 Studio | Saudi Arabia | Illuminating Souls | Wadi Hanifah |
| A.A.Murakami | United Kingdom (Alexander Groves) Japan (Azusa Murakami) | The Passage of Ra | Jax District |
| Abdulrahman Taha | Saudi Arabia | Palm Forest | KAHC |
| Ali AlRuzaiza | Saudi Arabia | A Part of a Human Life | KAHC |
| Anna Ridler | United Kingdom | Circadian Nocturne | Wadi Hanifah |
| Asmaa Aljohani | Saudi Arabia | Al-Majles | Jax District |
| Atelier Sisu | Australia (the studio) Peru (Renzo B. Larriviere) Australia (Zara Pasfield) | Evanescent | Wadi Hanifah |
| Athar Alharbi | Saudi Arabia | Perceiving Saudi Arabia’s Culture | KAHC |
| Ayman Yossri Daydban | Saudi Arabia | White Noise | Jax District |
| Boris Acket | Netherlands | Sunbeam, Captured | Jax District |
| Chris Levine | United Kingdom | Light is Love | Wadi Hanifah |
| Higher Power | Faisaliah | ||
| Collectif Scale | France | Flux | Jax District |
| Daan Roosegaarde | Netherlands | Spark | Wadi Hanifah |
| Ebtesam Saleh | Saudi Arabia | Shabbah | Wadi Hanifah |
| Edoardo Dionea Cicconi | Italy | AKR III | KAHC |
| Fahad Al Naymah | Saudi Arabia | Manqiya | Wadi Hanifah |
| Federico Acciardi | Italy | Choreography in the Void | Jax District |
| Felix Frank | Germany | PULSE | KAHC |
| Filip Roca | Based in Barcelona | The Stream | KAHC |
| Hashel Al Lamki | United Arab Emirates | Bronze | Wadi Hanifah |
| Hmoud Alattawi | Saudi Arabia | Energy of Vision | Wadi Hanifah |
| Inside Out Project by JR | France | Inside Out | Jax District |
| Janez Grošelj | Slovenia | Alchemy of Atmospheres | KAHC |
| Javier Riera | Spain | Places of Geometry and Light | KAHC |
| Jiyen Lee | South Korea | Stain-Rainbow Forest 2.3 | Jax District |
| Jukan Tateisi and Takeshi Yasura | Japan and United States (Jukan Tateisi) Japan (Takeshi Yasura) | Gravitation | Jax District |
| Kimchi and Chips | South Korea and United Kingdom | Another Moon | Wadi Hanifah |
| Koros Design Studio | Hungary | Connected | KAHC |
| Krista Kim | Canada/Korea | Heart Space | Jax District |
| Ksawery Komputery | Poland | Flux | Wadi Hanifah |
| Lachlan Turczan | United States | Aldwa Alsael | Wadi Hanifah |
| Marshmallow Laser Feast | Based in the United Kingdom | Distortions in Spacetime | Jax District |
| Maryam Tariq | Saudi Arabia | Cosmic rays | Digital City |
| Mathias Gramoso | France and Portugal | PLAGIO.2 | Jax District |
| Najla Alqubaisi | Saudi Arabia | The Sound of Millstone | KAHC |
| Nasser Al Turki | Saudi Arabia | Travel of the Light | Wadi Hanifah |
| Nawaf Al Dohan | Saudi Arabia | Sukoon | Jax District |
| Nick Verstand | Netherlands | Aura | Jax District |
| NONOTAK | France and Japan | Daydream V6 | Jax District |
| Quiet Ensemble | Italy | Solar Dust | Wadi Hanifah |
| Random International | United Kingdom | Alone Together | KAHC |
| Rashed AlShashai | Saudi Arabia | The Fifth Pyramid | KAHC |
| Refik Anadol | Türkiye | Machine Hallucinations – LNM | KAHC |
| Ricardo Morcillo | Spain | Beings of Light | KAHC |
| Romain Tardy | France | The Great Indecision Council | Wadi Hanifah |
| Ryoji Ikeda | Japan | Mass | Jax District |
| Saad Al Howede | Saudi Arabia | TAPLINE | Wadi Hanifah |
| Saeed Gamhawi | Saudi Arabia | In Plain Sight | Wadi Hanifah |
| Shuster + Moseley | United Kingdom | The Empty Mirror of the Sky | Jax District |
| SpY | Spain | OVOID | Wadi Hanifah |
| Stanza | United Kingdom | Out of Breath: A Life Support Machine | Wadi Hanifah |
| Stefano Cagol | Italy | NAJM | Wadi Hanifah |
| Takayuki Mori | Japan | View Tracing #5 “LABYRINTH” | Jax District |
| THIRD SPACE* Studio | United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia | From East to West and North to South | Wadi Hanifah |
| TUNDRA | Based in France | Row | Jax District |
| United Visual Artists | United Kingdom | Aether | KAHC |
| Vincent Ruijters | Netherlands | Selintas Selalu | Jax District |
| VOUW | Netherlands | Chairwave | KAHC |
| Xavi Bové Studio | Spain | Phasing Rain | KAHC |
| Yann Nguema | France | The Well of Life | KAHC |
| Yusef Alahmad | Saudi Arabia | Metamorphosis | Jax District |
About Riyadh Art
Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, is on a 10-year mission to become one of the world's most livable and competitive cities, a global center which is open for business and that welcomes the world. With a young and rapidly growing population of 7+ million residents, Riyadh is transforming into a vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolis.
Art and culture reflect the spirit of a city. That’s why the Riyadh Art project has been developed to turn the whole capital into a creative canvas – a gallery without walls – to enrich lives, ignite creative expression and kindle the creative economy. Riyadh Art is a demonstration of the open, accessible and creative transformation of the capital, where the exchange of ideas through creative expression develops a deeper sense of mutual understanding and respect.
The Riyadh Art project will have a positive impact on people, bringing everyday moments of joy to residents and visitors alike, while instilling a greater sense of civic pride and creating a more beautiful city for everyone to enjoy. It will also spark the development of the new creative economy and have a positive effect on attracting new businesses to invest in the city.
Website: www.riyadhart.sa
Instagram: @riyadhartofficial
X: @Riyadh_Arts
Facebook: @RiyadhArtOfficial
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/057a4eec-b1af-447e-b7f5-da9aad68d701
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/de4831a5-c868-42bf-8dd8-e8834dcd645f
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9be5843c-5847-49cd-b583-8bc3cccde466
