Close

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture launches sculptural symposium series

The series aims to encourage cultural exchange at local and international levels.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture has launched the first of a series of arts initiatives that form part of the country’s cultural vision for 2020.

The Ministry invited 20 international and local artists to hand-sculpt, in-situ, free-standing monoliths over a three-week period late last year using blocks of white marble imported from Oman.

The sculptures are now on display at the inaugural Red Sea International Sculpture Symposium, being held in Al Balad, Jeddah’s historic district, overlooking the famous waterfront and facing Midan Al Beyaa.

On display is work from Saudi artists Essam Jameel, Rida Alalawi and Kamal Almualem; European artists Michael Levchenko (Ukraine), Kamen Tanaev (Bulgaria), Jose Carlos Cabello Millan (Spain), Mario Lopes (Portugal), Jo Klay (Germany), Sylvain Patte (Belgium), Butrint Morina (Kosovo), Aggnessa Petrove (Bulgaria), Anna Maria Negara (Romania) and Anna Rasinska (Poland); Asian artists Takeshita Kubo, Fan Chilung-Lien and Lin Li Jen, spanning from Japan to Taiwan; and neighbouring Arab artists Ali Jabbar (Iraq), Hisham Abdulmuty (Egypt) and Hany Fisal (Egypt).

The Riyadh Symposium, the second Symposium of the series, is open now.

The Latest

An Integrated Approach

At DLR Group, collaboration across teams is key. We speak to Henrique Dias, Principal and Middle East Hospitality and Mixed-Use Director, and Vaida Buchrotaite, Principal and International Interior Design and Operations Director, on how the group shapes hospitality projects across the region

Motif, Centrum Spaces Abu Dhabi

Motif Interiors completes Centrum Spaces’ Abu Dhabi coworking space

The UAE design-and-build studio delivers a Japanese-inspired coworking destination at Reem Mall, spanning 22,000 sq ft

An exploration of wood in Chattels&More’s latest collection

Chattels&More explores the timeless elegance of wood in its latest collection

Endless possibilities with the Laser Evo by iGuzzini

The brand's latest Laser Evo offers over a million design options.

Read Shaping Destinations in Design – Note from the editor

Read identity magazine's June 2026 edition on ISSUU or grab your copy

Gaggenau reveals the full range of the new Vario Cooling Expressive Series

The brand continues the evolution of the Vario cooling Expressive series with 11 new refrigeration models

Boffi|DePadova Opens in Alserkal Avenue

The brand opens a pop-up ahead of its opening

Beyond Green Walls

Noeline Conradie, Co-Founder and Lead Interior Designer of SharpMinds Consulting Engineers, shares how biophilic design actually works in offices and schools

Fountains of Mercy

E+A Studio designs an urban bird feeder designed to support biodiversity where nature and city intersect

id most wanted – May 2026

This unique piece is designed by Isidro Ferrer

An Oasis of Expression

A new coffee-table book about Dubai’s beloved cultural space, Courtyard, resists neat categorisation. Part memoir, part architectural study, part visual archive, it traces the evolution of one of the city’s most enduring creative enclaves

Rhythms of Light

This villa designed by archiSENSE studio in Dubai is a masterclass in restraint, proportion, and architectural expression