Diriyah Art Futures

Una mostra e un panel sul nuovo museo di arti digitali in Arabia Saudita.

Comunicato stampa

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), in collaboration with Schiattarella Associati, will host “A New Era for Art in Saudi Arabia: Building Future Institutions and Pioneering Architectures”, an exclusive panel talk at the Querini Stampalia Foundation in Venice on May 7, 2025. Taking place on the sidelines of the opening of the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025, the event will examine how contemporary design and digital innovation engage with Saudi Arabia’s cultural and architectural heritage in shaping the future of cultural institutions.
The panel will feature Mona Khazindar, Advisor to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture; Dr. Haytham Nawar, Director of Diriyah Art Futures, the first dedicated New Media and Digital Arts hub in the Middle East and North Africa region, located in Riyadh – Saudi Arabia; and Andrea and Amadeo Schiattarella, Principal Architects of Schiattarella Associati, discussing the architectural and conceptual vision behind DAF. Moderated by acclaimed architect and art critic James Steele, the discussion will highlight how DAF serves as a model for integrating historical context with forward-thinking design to create a dynamic and technologically advanced cultural landmark.
The panel talk forms part of “Building of the Future,” an initiative highlighting leading global architectural projects that redefine contemporary design. Held in one of Venice’s most prestigious cultural institutions, the event will bring together architects, cultural leaders, artists, and media, to engage in a dialogue about Saudi Arabia’s evolving role in the international creative and architectural landscape.
Querini Stampalia Foundation will also host an accompanying exhibition curated by Schiattarella Associati. Displaying models, sketches, videos, drawings, photographs and objects, the exhibition offers a unique immersion in the vision behind DAF’s iconic building, purposefully designed by Schiattarella Associati to seamlessly emerge from the rocky escarpment of Diriyah’s landscape while presenting modern features, therefore symbolising DAF’s future-forward approach to the arts while celebrating and preserving Saudi Arabia’s unique heritage.
The exhibition, which will open on May 7 and last until June 15, 2025, will showcase how this groundbreaking project under the umbrella of the Saudi Museums Commission is contributing to Riyadh’s transformation into a leading global centre for creative exploration and cultural exchange, as part of Vision 2030.

For more information on Diriyah Art Futures: Website: www.daf.moc.gov.sa/en Twitter: @DAFmoc | Instagram: @DAFmoc

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About Diriyah Art Futures
Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) is an arts, research and education hub driven by a belief in the power of interdisciplinary creative practice at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Developed by the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia, DAF is the region’s first institution dedicated to New Media and Digital Arts. It is a space for collaboration, speculation and production by creative practitioners from across the globe, focused on research, documentation and producing new work.

Diriyah Art Futures invites participation from artists and scholars through upcoming public activities, educational programming, artistic and research residencies and grant opportunities. It aims to establish Saudi Arabia as a global centre for New Media and Digital Art, while amplifying the voice of the region in its engagement with art, science, and technology.

Set in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Diriyah, DAF reflects the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to preserving the country’s unique heritage while playing a pioneering role in developing and leading new art practices that will shape the future of art and humanity.