Riyadh answers the hard-to-believe promise that art is for everyone.
For many, the art industry is mocked for its perceived nature as a landscape reserved for the elite – a high-stakes investment market for the ultra-wealthy, where gatekeeping by galleries and auction houses is de facto behaviour. And honestly, this perception is neither completely inaccurate nor ill-placed; with an “if you know, you know” air surrounding it, it is no wonder that much of society believes it is excluded from the industry and its internal happenings.
Yet, there are individuals and organisations that bridge the gap between industry and society, placing both art and its processes within the public sphere. In doing so, they reinterpret the aforementioned narrative and establish emblems for a more democratic industry. This may occur through programming or through the placement of art on outdoor public display, thereby removing the barriers that hinder the watchful eye. In some cases, the public are even given the opportunity to witness the journey of art’s creation.
One such example is the Tuwaiq Sculpture Exhibition which, in February 2026, showcased completed artworks from the seventh edition of the annual international Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium. Open to the public free of charge, the exhibition ran from 9 to 22 February in Riyadh and featured 25 new large-scale sculptures created by Saudi and international artists from 18 countries, all of which were completed during a live sculpting phase the month prior. Not only did this invite the public to witness artistic processes as they unfolded, offering credibility and context to the works’ later positioning across the city, but the artists also worked with locally sourced stone and reclaimed metal. By the time the sculptures were finished, viewers had already been afforded an advanced understanding of material intelligence in the public realm and the ways in which the birth of art so often happens from the ground up…quite literally in this case.
To support this initiative, an interactive programme of panel discussions, workshops and educational visits accompanied the exhibition. Together, these activities reinforced the Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium’s commitment to operating as an open cultural platform that encourages participation while fostering awareness of contemporary art’s place within local landscapes and strengthening community engagement.
Traces of What Will Be stood as the theme for this year’s edition, exploring transformation in the face of the city’s own evolution, ongoing renewal, and the promise of an ever-growing legacy of innovation and quality of life. Artists presented an array of interpretations, addressing ideas of memory, the responsible harnessing of the earth’s resources, and the impact of human intervention.
And yet, where many galleries or programmes may stop – holding the art as a temporary relic to be admired before the next edition comes along – all artworks produced during the 2026 edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture will join the permanent Riyadh Art Collection. They will later be installed at prominent public locations across the city, establishing contemporary sculpture in the public sphere. Since its launch in 2019, the Symposium has brought together more than 170 artists, with over 60 sculptures installed across the city. Through initiatives like this, art becomes societal, paving the way for a more democratic future for the local industry and gradually challenging the belief that art is only for those who can afford it.
Does this indicate the slow demise of an elite-centred industry? Most likely not. Yet it represents a step in another direction, echoing the hard-to-believe promise that art might just be for everyone.
