Noor Riyadh’s 2025 programme reflects a city in flux. From Al Faisaliah Tower to metro stations, 59 artists respond to Riyadh’s architecture, movement and rhythm with light as a connective medium
Noor Riyadh is a citywide light art festival that reshapes how Riyadh looks and feels after dark. Led by director Nouf AlMoneef, it spans metro stations, public squares and heritage districts, turning familiar sites into installations that respond to the city’s pace and scale. Launched in 2021 under Riyadh Art and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, it has become what’s considered the world’s largest light art event, presenting more than 550 works by 500 artists and drawing over nine million visitors. Its aim is to commission public artworks from Saudi and international artists and to use light to connect Riyadh’s cultural and urban zones. For 2025, curators Mami Kataoka, Sara Almutlaq and Li Zhenhua work under the theme In the Blink of an Eye, a reference to the city’s rapid development.
This year’s edition – which closes on 6 December – features 60 artworks by 59 artists from 24 countries, including 35 new commissions. László Zsolt Bordos’ Astrum turns Al Faisaliah Tower into a real-time planetary compass, its 7km laser beams mapping celestial movement. At KAFD Metro Station, Vali Chincișan’s The Vision Grid converts the facade into a shifting lattice of colour and sound. Christophe Berthonneau’s Synthesis, made with Bordos, merges drone choreography and architectural mapping so a building appears to lift and reassemble itself. fuse*’s Luna Somnium builds a large-scale metal framework animated with lunar data. James Clar’s When the Sky Reaches the Ground (a moment frozen) suspends a sculptural ‘lightning bolt’ made of neon and scaffolding. Saudi artists include Fatma Abdulhadi, whose fabric-based Keep your eyes on the light: Into Another Garden explores shadow and reflection, and Ahmad Angawi, whose Algorithms of Light: The Falcon draws on Najdi Sadu patterns and falcon iconography. Alex Schweder’s Clockwise Invitations is an inflatable environment that expands and shifts with its visitors.
Since its early editions, Noor Riyadh has grown into part of the city’s cultural infrastructure. Below, AlMoneef discusses the festival’s evolution, the logic behind its six hubs, the criteria shaping artist selection, and the moments she hopes visitors notice.
Port: You’ve been director of Noor Riyadh since its early editions. What does this iteration feel like to you personally, and what is it trying to do differently?
Nouf AlMoneef: Every edition carries its own identity, but In the Blink of an Eye feels especially close to the current spirit of Riyadh. Since the festival launched in 2021, I have watched the city transform at remarkable speed. This year reflects that momentum in a very direct way. It brings light into spaces that express both our heritage and our modern urban rhythm, while placing even greater emphasis on accessibility and public experience. What feels different is the immediacy. The festival responds to a city that is constantly shifting. Light becomes a way to pause, notice change, and reflect on how quickly our surroundings evolve.
How would you describe this year’s theme, In the Blink of an Eye, and how did it shape your approach to the programme?
The theme captures the pace of Riyadh’s transformation. It speaks to how rapidly life is moving, how innovation shapes our environment, and how perception can change in a single moment. Light naturally conveys speed, energy, and transition, which made it the ideal medium for this edition. The curatorial team, led by Mami Kataoka, with Sara Almutlaq and Li Zhenhua, explored these ideas through artworks that shift, react, or transform as audiences move through them. The theme shaped the programme by encouraging artists to experiment with perception, memory, and the movement of the city around us.
The festival spans historic and emerging zones across the city. Can you tell us about these locations and how you decide which works go where?
Noor Riyadh 2025 unfolds across six hubs and locations: Qasr Al Hokm District (Hub), King Abdulaziz Historical Center (Hub), stc Metro Station (Hub), KAFD Metro Station, Al Faisaliah Tower, and Riyadh Art Hub at JAX District. Each carries its own narrative and atmosphere. In the historic areas, artworks interact with architecture that holds the city’s memory. We look for installations that respond to heritage through material, scale, or rhythm. In the metro stations and contemporary hubs, the focus is on movement and modernity. These environments naturally lend themselves to works that explore data, sound, flow, and digital expression. Placement is always intentional. We consider the artist’s vision, the spatial character of each hub, and how the overall journey will feel as visitors move between traditional and modern spaces.
This edition presents 59 artists with more than 35 new commissions. What criteria guided the curation?
The selection balanced several key considerations. Alignment with the theme: every work needed to respond authentically to the idea of rapid transformation and shifting perception. Diversity of international and Saudi voices: artists represent 24 nationalities, including a strong Saudi presence that reflects the country’s evolving creative landscape. Innovation in light-based practice: we invited artists who experiment with technology, kinetic movement, or immersive forms of storytelling. Sensitivity to site: each commission had to fit its location, whether a historic street or a fast-moving transit hub. Public experience: the festival remains open and free, so works are designed to be intuitive, welcoming, and engaging for all ages.
If you had to highlight two or three works that capture the heart of the festival, which would they be, and what moments do you hope audiences notice
Several works express the essence of this edition. The commemorative installation for Safeya Binzagr is a tribute that honors a pioneer of Saudi modern art. It connects the past to the present and invites visitors to reflect on the legacy that shaped today’s creative momentum. Ayoung Kim’s installation at Riyadh Art Hub at JAX District: her work explores shifting temporalities and cultural cosmologies through light and movement, inviting audiences to reflect on different ways of perceiving time. New commissions from artists such as James Clar or Muhannad Shono explore perception and identity in ways that resonate with the theme and the atmosphere of the city. What I hope people notice are the subtle details. The way light shifts against a facade, how a work responds when you walk past it, or how an installation transforms a daily commute into an unexpected moment of reflection.
Noor Riyadh is often described as a point where art and technology meet. How do you see advances in light-based technology reshaping public art?
Technology broadens the possibilities of public art. Tools such as AR, AI and advanced projection systems allow artists to work with movement, interaction and environmental data in new ways. These tools also enhance emotional connection. They can turn a metro station into an immersive landscape or translate the rhythm of the city into light and sound. What matters most is not the technology itself, but how it deepens the experience. When used thoughtfully, it helps audiences feel more connected to their surroundings and to the stories we want to share through the festival.
How has Riyadh’s art scene evolved in recent years, and what role has Noor Riyadh played?
Riyadh’s cultural ecosystem has expanded significantly. New institutions, public art programmes and creative platforms have helped build a vibrant artistic landscape. Noor Riyadh has supported this growth by presenting large-scale light artworks in public spaces and by inviting both Saudi and international artists to engage with the city. Since its launch, the festival has presented more than 550 artworks by over 500 artists, attracting more than 9.6 million visitors and spectators. The community engagement programme – including workshops, school visits, talks and guided tours – has also been important in creating new art enthusiasts and building long-term cultural curiosity.
Looking ahead, how do you hope Noor Riyadh will evolve? What ambitions or challenges feel most urgent for its future?
I hope the festival continues to grow in a way that reflects the evolving character of Riyadh. The ambition is to expand the breadth of light-based creativity, support more Saudi talent, and keep strengthening the connection between the public and the city’s artistic identity. As Riyadh develops, one of the key challenges is to ensure that public art remains accessible and meaningful. We want Noor Riyadh to stay rooted in inclusivity and to offer experiences that resonate with residents and visitors alike.
Ultimately, the goal is for the festival to evolve in step with the city, providing new perspectives on Riyadh’s changing landscape and inviting people to experience its transformation through light.
Noor Riyadh runs until 6 December, find out more here
