ALULA, Saudi Arabia, February 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Arts AlUla has announced a key milestone in the development of its newest cultural initiative. The AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art was officially named and its vision revealed on 31st January during the launch of Arduna, the first exhibition presented by the institution.
AlUla, a cultural oasis located 1,100 km from Riyadh in northwest Saudi Arabia, is renowned for its extraordinary natural beauty and rich human heritage, including Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arts AlUla is dedicated to celebrating cultural heritage and shaping a future for AlUla powered by creativity.
Designed as a dynamic platform to engage the public through exhibitions, commissions, residencies, research and publications, the AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art will connect AlUla’s rich heritage with contemporary artistic ideas, thereby fostering global dialogue. The museum engages in a truly international exchange, reflecting AlUla’s role as a cultural crossroads for millennia.
Architect Lina Ghotmeh will design the future physical home of the museum as part of the Saudi Vision 2030, integrating it into the unique landscape of the AlUla Oasis.
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts and Creative Industries at Royal Commission for AlUlasaid: “The AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art marks another pivotal chapter in AlUla’s journey, connecting our deep local heritage with the innovations shaping the global art landscape. Rooted in the monumental landscape of AlUla and its people, and through bold commissions, historic exhibitions and in-depth collaborations, we are building a platform that elevates Saudi and regional voices in meaningful dialogue with the world. generations to come. »
Organized as part of the fifth edition of AlUla Arts Festival 2026, an annual celebration of art, design and culture, Arduna brings together contemporary and modern expressions of creativity. Meaning “our land” in Arabic, Arduna is co-organized by the AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art and the Center Pompidou in Paris with the support of the French Agency for the Development of AlUla (AFALULA).
Featuring more than 80 works from Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and around the world, Arduna explores humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and includes new commissions and works by renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Manal AlDowayan, Ayman Zedani and Etel Adnan, among others. Arduna runs from February 1 to April 15, 2026.
Press kits:
The Arduna press kit can be found here.
The press kit for the AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art can be found here.
Image library:
High-resolution images of the AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art can be found here.
Video:
The AlUla Museum of Contemporary Art video can be downloaded here.
Video press release:
The video press release of the event can be downloaded here.
For more information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
About AlUla and AlUla Arts
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place with extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561 km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to the times of the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms.
AlUla’s best known and recognized site is Hegra, the main southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms and considered one of the most developed cities on the Arabian Peninsula in the 1st millennium BCE, as well as Jabal Ikmah, an open-air library containing hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick houses, was developed at least in the 12th century and has been revitalized to become a vibrant center for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters of a millennium of artistic creation – celebrating cultural heritage and shaping a future inspired by artists built like artists. Arts AlUla’s work seeks to preserve this heritage: merging the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts at the heart of the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning “Valley of the Arts”, will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiled from 2028, where landmark works by artists from around the world will be permanently installed in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-western Saudi Arabia.
SOURCE Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
