Magzoid Magazine - Luxury Magazine in the Creative Space | March 2024 |

ALULA
AlUla Heritage and Innovation Residency,
runs from May 2024 to June 2024, with six
artists taking part:
This specific programme focuses on exploring
the fusion between art and digital
technology, past and future, in the context
of a land rooted in more than 200,000 years
of human history. Unlike other programmes,
it will emphasise research over production,
proposing to artists a platform of reflection
to nurture existing or future projects, and it
will have an open studio which will replace
a formal exhibition. Creatives are invited to
feed, absorb, and accumulate all manners
of cultural artefacts or natural elements, intertwining
them with their imaginations and
techniques, to write the scenarios of an
imagined future.
Long-Term Residencies, runs from December
2023 onwards, with three artists
taking part:
This new format has been developed to
offer what is the most precious for artists:
TIME. Targeted at confirmed artists from
around the world, selected creatives will call
this spectacular oasis-city home over an extensive
timeframe of over a year, with field
trips throughout the research, creation and
production process. Artists from the region
and abroad will be able to pursue their artistic
endeavours through experimentation,
leading to ambitious commissioned projects
to nurture AlUla cultural assets collections
and other creative projects. Two of the selected
artists will be partaking in the contemporary
art museum in AlUla’s pre-opening
programme, and the third artist will then be
selected to participate in a separate project
tied to a signature ecolodge hotel (Dar Tantora),
which will open in January 2024.
Long-Term Residencies, 3 participating
artists:
• Tarek Atoui (Lebanon)
• Grégory Chatonsky (France)
• Ayman Zedani (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia),
as a continuation of his previous
research-based residency in January
– March 2023
Alumni Circle for Artists, April 2024:
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
and the French Agency for AlUla Development
(Afalula) are committed to nurturing a
long-term relationship with the artists they
invite; as well as to follow their career, plus
the evolution of their projects initiated onsite.
As a manifestation of their ethos to imagine
“a destination built by artists”, 2024 will see
the first iteration of a yearly symposium gathering
alumni from the AlUla Artists Residency
Programme, strengthening the development
of a dialogue forum and collaboration
amongst and with artists in the long run.
The Alumni Circle will serve as a dialogue
forum for valuable feedback and reflections
on the residency’s impact, and how to better
embed arts and create bigger growth
through AlUla.
Collectively, AlUla Artist Residency is a
step further towards building a thriving ecosystem
for local, regional and international
artists that will be embedded in AlUla, and
will continue to give artists access to remarkable
curatorial and artistic support in addition
to production facilities
AlUla’s Artist Residency Programme is
a testament to our commitment to fostering
a dynamic global hub for creativity.
We are crafting a rich collage beyond
individual projects across six diverse
programmes, from visual art to design,
landscaping, and heritage. These initiatives
draw inspiration from AlUla’s natural
wonders and history. Beyond the
residencies, our Long-Term Residencies
and the introduction of the Alumni
Circle demonstrate our dedication to
sustaining creative relationships. As we
showcase the outcomes at the AlUla
Arts Festival, we unveil not just art but
the evolving soul of AlUla, inviting artists
from around the world to become custodians
of our cultural narrative and contribute
to a thriving artistic ecosystem
that transcends borders”
Ali Alghazzawi,
Arts & Creative Opportunities
Lead, RCU.
28 March 2024 www.magzoid.com