The AlUla Artist Residency Programme Returns for its Second Edition

The second edition of Arts AlUla Design Residency is now underway. This three-month programme welcomes five designers to the ancient oasis city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia for a period of in-depth research, culminating in the development and production of furniture prototypes. The Design Residency programme 2025 also coincides with the Year of Handicrafts as designated by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture.  To this end, a focus of the programme is the opportunity for the designers to embrace a grassroots artisan crafts intrinsic to AlUla’s identity, merging traditional craftsmanship in disciplines such as weaving, metal, leather and stone work with contemporary design practices.

Hamad Alhomiedan, Art and Creative Industries Director at the Royal Commission for AlUla, commented, “The theme Designing Within underscores the delicate balance of the ambition and progress of the master planners and place-makers of AlUla with the overarching goal to protect and celebrate the culture, traditions and environment of a city so steeped in rich heritage. Since welcoming the first artists in residence to AlUla in 2021, we’ve witnessed many meaningful collaborations and seen first-hand the inspiration of the artists and designers by the landscapes, culture, materials and stories of AlUla, resulting in works that have been shown in galleries across Europe.”

The selected participants — Altin Studio, Aseel Alamoudi, Ori Orisun Merhav, Paul Ledron, and Studio ThusThat — will immerse themselves in AlUla’s landscapes and cultural fabric for three months of research and conceptual work before developing their prototypes which will then be exhibited later in the year and showcased at the AlUla Arts Festival 2026 from January 15th.

Ori Orisun Merhav, one of the participants at AlUla Design Residency

The residency focuses on the creation of urban installations and furniture for and from AlUla. Inspired by the landscape, materiality, crafts, heritage, and culture of the region, the programme emphasises the use of local resources and traditional know-how.As with the first edition of the residency, the programme offers a platform for collaboration between international designers, local artisans, and regional experts, inviting them to collectively reflect on how design can respond to contemporary needs while honoring the authenticity and traditions of AlUla.

An international jury of renowned experts selected the designers for this edition, which focuses on site-specific design rooted in local materiality, heritage, and contemporary relevance.

• Humberto Campana, Co-founder, Campana Brothers, President of the jury
• Ali Alghazzawi, Head of AlUla Artist Residency Programme, Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
• Tulga Beyerle, Director, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
• Tarini Jindal Handa, Managing Director, JSW Realty | Founder, æquō | Co-Founder, Hampi Art Labs
• Arnaud Morand, Head of Art and Creative Industries, AFALULA. Independent Curator
• Emmanuel Tibloux, Director, École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD), Paris

For this second edition of the residency, Dominique Petit-Frère, cultural practitioner and design strategist and co-founder of Limbo Accra, an architecture and research studio based in Ghana, has been invited as Lead Curator. Her theme, Designing Within, explores how design can emerge from an intimate connection to landscape. She accompanies the designers throughout their creative journey, fostering thoughtful engagement with the context of AlUla.

The works created during the residency will be presented as part of a dedicated design stream during the AlUla Arts Festival in January 2026, along other design-led initiatives driven by Arts AlUla – part of the Royal Commission for AlUla, and Design Space AlUla. The designers will also take part and lead a series of public programmes, sharing insights into their creative processes and how their time in AlUla has shaped their work, offering audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the future of design inspired by place.

The Residency is developed in collaboration with the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA), and with the curatorial support of Emily Marant, Senior Design Advisor to AFALULA, the residency is hosted at Mabiti, a lively hub for artists set in shade of a palm grove in the heart of AlUla.