RIYADH — Misk Art Institute (MAI) announced the 5th edition of Misk Art Week, the institute’s annual flagship event.

Taking place from December 1-5, Misk Art Week is a central feature in Saudi Arabia’s cultural calendar, engaging creatives through dynamic programming, providing a critical platform for the creative community, and offering a space for cultural dialogue and exchange among artists and cultural leaders.

This year’s theme, Takween: Form, invites audiences to explore identity through the lenses of art, design, and architecture

A core element of Misk Art Week is the creative forum, comprised of five days of talks, panels, roundtables, masterclasses, and workshops, featuring guest speakers working at the cutting-edge of their fields including Simon Njami (Writer, Curator, and Co-Founder of Revue Noire Journal), Dr. Maha Senan (Saudi Shura Council Member and Art Historian), Prince Faisal Bin Ayyaf (Mayor of Riyadh), Wael Al Awar (Architectural Designer, Co-Curator of the UAE Pavilion 2021 at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and winner of the 2021 Golden Lion), and Moath AlOafi (Artist, Founder of artistic studio Al-Mthba, and Co-Founder of Erth Team) among others.

The speakers will address topics such as Saudi identity as seen through art, humancentric design, landmarks in Riyadh, Artificial Intelligence, and digital nostalgia.

Alongside the forum, Misk Art Week presents over 40 workshops, focusing on exploring identity through different mediums, with the aim of placing community engagement and outreach at its very core.

Once again, the event adopts a hybrid format, taking place at the Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall in Riyadh and online via the Institute’s website.

Additional highlights during this seminal event include the unveiling of new works by Saudi and international artists as part of the second iteration of the Institute’s pioneering Misk Art Grant as well as a showcase of works created in the Masaha Residency program.

Reem Al Sultan, CEO of Misk Art Institute, says: “The evolution of Misk Art Week over the past five years reflects the overall growth of the art scene in Saudi Arabia. We are proud to play a key role in this development, by nurturing local talent and unlocking opportunities for the creative community. Misk Art Week is a focal point in Saudi Arabia’s cultural calendar, offering moments dedicated to discovery and cross-disciplinary exchange.”

The Misk Art Grant, the most ambitious art grant in the region, offers a unique opportunity for emerging and mid-career artists to realize their dream projects through rigorous mentorship programs with renowned curators and specialists. Now in its second year, the grant has expanded its geographical scope to include Arab artists alongside Saudi nationals, with the 2021 recipients also hailing from Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Institute has also doubled the grant funds to SR1 million ($266,632) distributed among nine artists and collectives.

The 2021 participants were invited to respond to the theme of Under Construction, exploring how identity is perceived as an emblem of growth, continuity, and endless iterations of cultural representations throughout history.

Basmah Felemban, a Misk Art grantee, says: “I am delighted to have been selected as a recipient of such an ambitious grant. This kind of opportunity allows us artists to have more space and time to delve deeper into our methods of creating and developing art, involving creatives around us in the process. I think this grant will contribute to diversifying the types of experiences artists can work towards and look forward to every year.”

Also on show is the Masaha Residency, part of the Institute’s vision to support both Saudi and international practitioners across artistic disciplines in the research and production of new works and provide them with invaluable mentorship opportunities. Its second iteration aligns with the Institute’s mission to cultivate a culture of art writing and criticism, presenting works by 10 visual artists and, for the first time in the region, one writer-in-residence, under the theme of HOME: Being and Belonging.

Structured around research and collaboration, the Residency’s theme examines a series of questions about heritage, culture, nostalgia, and identity, exploring a sense of belonging and how this persists, changes, and transforms through time – encouraging residents to survey the spaces that shape our experiences. With many residents making their artistic debut in Saudi Arabia, the 3-month cycle offers a space for an inspiring exchange of cultural conversations, with participating residents travelling from countries including United Kingdom, Guatemala, Morocco, India, South Korea, and from across Saudi Arabia.

Esvin Alarcon, Masaha Residency artist, says: “The residency has encouraged me to broaden my artistic practice outside of my comfort zone and adopt a multidisciplinary mindset. It has also been a wonderful opportunity to network with and create new work alongside other resident artists. This stimulating environment has enabled a unique exchange of knowledge, be it about our personal experiences, artistic practices, or diverse cultures. The showcase will mark the first time I am exhibiting in Saudi Arabia, and I look forward to introducing my work to new audiences.”

Misk Art Institute’s annual international exhibition, "Here, Now", curated by Sacha Craddock running from October 3 to January 30, 2022, features works across a wide range of media including paintings, textiles, sculptures, immersive installations, and digital works. Exploring the theme of identity, this group exhibition encourages visitors to engage with the artworks in an interactive and reflective way and is among the first in the Saudi capital to present works by both Saudi and international artists.

Virtual tours (in English and Arabic) of "Here, Now" and the Misk Art Grant exhibition will be made available online via the Misk Art Institute website. — SG