Noor Riyadh Festival, a new method to whitewashing the Saudi regime

The French agency AFP described the Noor Riyadh art festival as a new way to wash the Saudi reputation and cover up the violations of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his authoritarian rule.

According to the agency, “the festival raises questions about ‘artwashing’, or using the arts to launder the image of a country notorious for silencing dissidents, most notably slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

A massive red orb glowing outside the national library, illuminated rods dotting the riverside at a popular picnic spot, and Arabesque design projected onto the mud-brick walls of a 130-year-old fort — these are all part of Noor Riyadh, a city-wide festival.

As part of a reform plan that began years ago, the Kingdom seeks to present itself as a tourist and cultural destination. And in recent years, it organized exhibitions for big names in the world of contemporary art, including Desert X in the middle of the sandstone mountains in Al-Ula in the sparsely populated north of the country.

The Noor Riyadh festival is held in 40 locations in the capital, which includes more than seven million people, many of whom were not accustomed to visiting an exhibition before.

“Different social and economic situations interact with the installations… It is amazing,” says Saudi art curator Jumana Ghawth, adding, “We are not really a people that grew up with art.”

She says the project targets “specifically those who cannot even travel. So we bring art to them.”

As for the other artistic coordinator at the festival, Ghaida Al-Muqrin, says that the focus on public places frequented heavily means that “these pieces of art are displayed in places that are normal for the residents.”

“I think this is the role of art: to come and provoke us to see how it will be interacted with,” she adds.

The launch of Noor Al Riyadh included a light show in a park where 2,000 drones were used and a loud party in the desert outside the city, where a platform was established to coordinate songs under a large inverted glowing pyramid.

Adel Shukr, with his wife and sister, wandered near a photo installation by artist Gisela Colon from Puerto Rico, amazed at the light shining from an artificial lake nearby.

“The light…how did they put it there?” he asked. How do they distribute the light? It really is art.”

It was a new experience for the 52-year-old retired maritime analyst, who says he is not accustomed to going to museums and art galleries in Riyadh.

“We don’t have time,” he said. Riyadh is now very crowded. You cannot move easily. Rush hour is always there.”

More than 130 artists from 40 countries participated in the Noor Riyadh festival, which runs until November 19.

As with various other fairs in the Kingdom, the festival raises questions about “artwashing,” or the use of arts to whitewash the image of a country known for silencing dissent.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has come under fire for extremely long prison sentences for two women who tweeted and retweeted material critical of the government.

These provisions undermine the central goal of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda: to soften the Kingdom’s tough image.

Noor Riyadh installations generally avoid sending political messages, while many highlight climate change’s ravages.

Festival coordinator Herve Mikhailov, who previously worked with international artists, acknowledged that some artists might have been apprehensive about coming to Saudi Arabia but said that none of them had come under pressure from local authorities over the content they would present.

“Of course, if you accept to work here, you have to accept the rules and the legal and political situation,” Mikhailov said.

“I think most of the artists I was talking to wanted to emphasize that a festival like this is also a political gesture to open up the country to the world,” he added.