Diriyah Art Futures has launched its groundbreaking exhibition titled “Continuum” at the historically rich Diriyah, featuring innovative art installations by 17 young artists from 12 different nations who have gone through a one-year fellowship program facilitated by the Museums Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture.
Continuing up until November 7th, the show represents a significant achievement on the part of Saudi Arabia’s growing digital arts community as the country continues to support global creative minds while establishing itself as a center of modern art. Under the mentorship of globally known art gurus Louis-Philippe Demers and Rick Treweek, the exhibition revolves around several main themes, which are
living memory, systems of power and technological optimization, and the physical body in relation to spatial perception. The featured works reflect rigorous technical experimentation, blending algorithmic tools, film, light installations, and interactive architecture to challenge conventional artistic boundaries.
Among the featured pieces, Russian artist Evgenii Popov presented “Being Beside,” an immersive architectural structure that utilizes light and four distinct vanishing points to momentarily disrupt the viewer’s spatial awareness and sense of self. Saudi practitioner Njood Albawardi contributed an installation exploring the complex relationship between human labor and automation, questioning the perception that modern machines exist independently of human influence.
The showcase also features “Does the Sea Die?”—a film-based spatial installation by Yemeni artist Ezzat Shdad set in Aden, examining personal grief, urban decay, and post-colonial memory. Mexican artist Gabriela Reyes (Cero Tres) introduced “Avoid Nil,” an audiovisual work inspired by programming logic that uses sound and light to transform void space into an active perceptual medium. Additionally, British artistic duo Y7 (Hannah Cobb and Declan Colquitt) presented an AI-generated video essay exploring the algorithmic attention economy and machine authorship.
By hosting a diverse cohort of global digital artists, Diriyah Art Futures continues to establish dedicated infrastructure for creative technology in the Middle East. The initiative supports Saudi Arabia’s broader cultural strategy to cultivate native artistic talent while fostering international collaborative networks across the global new media landscape
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