- Title: Saudi Arabia's art scene flourishes with Jax district
- Date: 24th March 2025
- Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (MARCH 18, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SCULPTURED WOODEN FIGURINES SAUDI ARTIST PAINTING VARIOUS OF MAN SCULPTURING SAUDI ARTIST KHALID BIN AFIF IN HIS STUDIO BIN AFIF LOOKING AT HIS ART BIN AFIF DAMPENING HIS ART PIECE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAUDI ARTIST, KHALID BIN AFIF, SAYING: "An artist's studio was once a solitary sanctuary where they could be alone
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: ART JAX RIYADH SAUDI STUDIOS
- Location: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
- City: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Art,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001022520032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Saudi artists and art enthusiasts gathered in an art workshop at the Jax District creative hub welcoming what they say as increased openness to the arts in recent years within the country.
"An artist's studio was once a solitary sanctuary,” Saudi artist Khalid Bin Afif said, but the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 plan to modernise the Gulf Arab state and reduce its dependence on oil export revenues, has tipped the scale.
“After the Vision, art reached a level we honestly never dreamed of," Bin Afif added.
This openness has allowed artists to work on documenting their heritage, another Saudi artist Rashid Shashai said in what he called ‘a golden age of cultural and artistic practice.’
The Jax District, transformed an industrial heritage site in Diriyah area in Riyadh into a creative hub that has attracted artists, galleries, media and creative agencies in a shared space to contribute to the development of the creative industry, according to its website.
The district which also houses the Saudi Museum of Contemporary Art and hosts key events like the Diriyah Biennale and Noor Riyadh Festival, aligns with Vision 2030 by promoting ‘cultural and inclusive exchanges’ its website added.
(Production: Mohammed Benmansour) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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