tuwaiq sculpture carves dimensions of movement in granite, riyadh

tuwaiq sculpture 2024 sparks cultural exchange

Tuwaiq Sculpture, an annual symposium fostering cultural exchange through public art, returns for its fifth edition in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. From February 12 the burgeoning cultural hub plays host to 30 sculptures carved in situ over the course of a month and purely from locally sourced granite — a move rooted in uniting heritage, innovation, and sustainability. From a pool of over 700 applicants, 30 selectedartists from 20 countries chisel their diverse perspectives and narratives into the local context and geology, with each chip at the stone transforming expressions of motion and identity into tactile experiences. ‘Tuwaiq gives these artists the platform and tools to create in the Kingdom, for the Kingdom, placing collaboration at the heart of the initiative,’ shares lead curator Marek Wolynski as we explore the exhibition together.

This year’s edition immerses in the abstract theme Dimensions of Movement, seemingly juxtaposed to the hardiness of the material, yet one that finds itself materializing in forms of fluidity and expressions of vitality and expansion. From Atonio Vigo’s loops of eternal evolution and Filin Gheorghi’s gentle breaths of wind, to Essam Jameel’s dynamic explorations of the sun and moon and Helwa Al-Atwi’s rhythmic Najdi Ardah martial dance, blocks of stone are brought to life in various interpretations of this premise. ‘The theme stimulates artists from across the world to convey responses relevant to the kingdom, but also contribute with their own cultural background and understanding of what motion, progress, and optimism can mean in a more tangible form,’ Wolynski adds. After February 24, the sculptures will be distributed across the city to become permanent urban features.

all images courtesy of Tuwaiq Sculpture

exploring progress and motion in locally sourced granite

Realized with accessibility and public engagement in mind, the sculptures invite observers to explore their forms through touching, climbing, and sitting with their elevated podiums and stepped forms. ‘The artists all considered movement not just as a design concept, but how the public can move around it,’ director Sarah Alruwayti tells designboom during our interview. Essentially encapsulating the acceleration of modern society, the theme curated by Marek Wolynski and Dr. Fahad Aljabreen further aligns with Saudi Vision 2030’s ambitions and evokes the essence of development and expansion.

While this rapid evolution has begun paving the way towards new horizons in the city with the ongoing Diriyah Biennale and the upcoming monumental New Murabba plan, Tuwaiq Sculpture decidedly pays homage to its roots and heritage. The program derives its name from the kingdom’s largest mountain range, a symbol proudly associated with power and passion for its people. ‘We have this rich culture that we want to showcase. While we have many other stones in Riyadh, we chose granite as it literally represents the strength of the kingdom and its people. It is the strongest stone out there and the hardest to sculpt on,’ shares Alruwayti.

Zdravo Zdravkov

For curator Marek Wolynski, art serves as a catalyst for change. ‘Sculptures play the main role, yet they serve as a departure point rather than an arrival destination. You start with the sculptures and the journey can go in so many different directions, starting from three-dimensionality in very tangible aspects of materiality, to the more intangible attributes they navigate,’ he explains.

The initiative’s open format and community focus invites the public to observe the creative exchange first-hand, from interacting with the artists as they sculpt live on site, to participating in interactive workshops and panels with industry leaders, and encountering the final artworks when they are distributed across the capital to find permanent homes in the urban fabric.

Filin Gheorghi

Riyadh Art envisions the capital a gallery without walls

Tuwaiq Sculpture stems from Riyadh Art, an initiative for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City which seeks to kindle a creative economy and instigate intercultural exchanges. As the first national public art initiative in the kingdom and one of the largest public art projects in the world, Riyadh Art seeks to transform the capital into a vast creative canvas — a ‘gallery without walls’. By 2030, 1000 public art installations are envisioned to be scattered across the city, enriching the kingdom’s cultural scene, and providing a platform for international creatives to transfer knowledge and skills through collaboration.

Mahdih Al Talib