Neville Wakefield says: “More women were wearing abeyas before so that’s clearly changed. On the ground, it is clear that the country is undergoing a cultural and social transformation: visas that used to require a letter of invitation now take around ten minutes to process online. Sultan bin Fahad, (2022), Desert X AlUla 2022. Indeed, the influx of international press this week and a notable curatorial contingent reflect how the notoriously conservative country is opening up internationally and diversifying its economy in line with the government’s Vision 2030 initiative. The government of Saudi Arabia benefits meanwhile by improving its image through what some commentators have called “art washing” (using art to smooth over thorny issues such as human rights abuses and the ongoing controversy of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered in 2018 in Istanbul). Some of the works were also built with the help of the community (Jim Denevan’s Angle of Repose centrepiece pyramid installation was, for instance, constructed by a small army of volunteers). “We are building the history and narrative for the next generation… it’s accessible for anyone and everyone,” Aldabal says, stressing that a number of public programmes cater for families and schools. Marketing AlUla as a high-end destination would limit numbers, preventing the historic region from being overrun by tourists, but could be labelled elitist. Nora Aldabal, executive director for arts and creative industries at the Royal Commission of AlUla, has said that “we are not a mass tourism destination”, adding that by 2035, AlUla is due to receive approximately two million visitors annually. Serge Attukwei Clottey’s Gold Falls (2022), Desert X AlUla 2022. Desert X AlUla has been organised in collaboration with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the Saudi governmental body led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The first AlUla edition launched in 2020 this iteration is curated by Wakefield, Raneem Farsi of Saudi Arabia and Palestine-born Reem Fadda.
The Desert X biennial initially launched in the Coachella Valley in California in 2017. Serge Attukwei Clottey’s shimmering piece Gold Falls, made from plastic containers used in Ghana for storing water, adorns a rock face, resulting in one of the most dramatic installations in the exhibition. Fifteen works in total are divided across four separate canyons stand-outs include Canadian artist Stephanie Deumer’s underground greenhouse ( Under the Same Sun), which has been carved out of the sand, creating a cool oasis hidden from the searing sun. Photo: Lance Gerberįor the second edition of Desert X AlUla, site-specific works are again dotted around the region that has been described as a “living museum”, but this time the installations are displayed in a different location. Stephanie Deumer’s Under the Same Sun (2022), Desert X AlUla 2022.
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