RIYADH — The Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium, also known as Tuwaiq Sculpture, is scheduled to launch on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in JAX district, Ad Diriyah in Riyadh. The symposium is comprised of 20 international avant-garde artists working in unison to sculpt live under this year’s theme ‘The Poetics of Space’.

Countries represented by the artists include Saudi Arabia, Oman, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, Bulgaria, Colombia, New Zealand, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and Georgia.

Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium is the second public art program to be launched under Riyadh Art, a project designed to turn Riyadh into a gallery without walls and transform the capital into one of the world’s most livable cities by exhibiting the work of local and international artists.

More than 400 sculptors from 71 countries originally applied to take part in the symposium earlier this year, a testament to Saudi Arabia's emerging role as a pacesetter in the global cultural scene, solidifying Riyadh Art as a destination for artists from around the world.

The symposium runs from Nov. 15 through Dec.10, 2021, beginning with the artists using black and white marble to create a variety of sculptures live for on lookers and art enthusiasts. Once completed, the project will remain exhibited during the last four days of the symposium.

To conclude the live sculpting, three winners will be selected by the Riyadh Art Expert Panel before all 20 artworks are moved to various prominent outdoor locations across the city.

The symposium will also include over 30 talks and workshops and dozens of educational trips for students, all free of charge, bringing vibrant, inspiring experiences to the community and celebrating the creative spirit of Riyadh.

As a fundamental principle underpinned by its social development program in raising local community awareness, the symposium is providing accessibility to Riyadh’s art world through partnerships with cultural institutions that organize workshops.

Most notably these include Princess Nourah Bint Abdurrahman University, Misk Art Institute, and the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, as well as many others.

To this end, Riyadh Art and Riyadh Season have both announced a partnership through the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium program. This collaboration will deliver artistic, cultural, and entertainment events to the local and international community and includes the selection of multiple locations within Riyadh to permanently relocate the winning sculptures. — SPA