NEW YORK: A virtual reality documentary looking at changes in the Kingdom through the eyes of a new generation of artists will be screened as part of a major New York exhibition of contemporary Saudi art.
The documentary, “Reframe Saudi,” will be shown by the Misk Art Institute on Monday as part of its second exhibition, “Contemporary Saudi Art,” at the prestigious Phillips auction house in New York.
The four-day exhibition comes during the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the US.
Traditional Saudi art will also be shown to highlight the Kingdom’s artistic heritage.
Ahmed Mater, director of Misk Art Institute, said that the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the Misk Foundation wanted to empower Saudi youth and feature their creations at international art exhibitions.
“This will encourage cultural exchange and promote external communication inside and outside Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Mater said Saudi artists needed to take part in international events to consolidate their presence for a global audience.
“The VR film ‘Reframe Saudi’ tells the story of a society that is rich with diversity and recreates it from the perspectives of a new generation of contemporary artists, who share the way they see the Kingdom’s new social and economic phase,” Mater said.
The documentary was produced at studios across the Kingdom to highlight the country’s diverse social fabric.
Works by almost 30 artists from different Saudi provinces will be shown at the exhibition.
A special section will be devoted to Asir’s frescoes and Al-Qatt Al-Asiri — motifs and abstract designs painted by women from the south of the Kingdom. This artform that was recently added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Saudi writer Ali Maghawi said the exhibition would revive many Saudi artforms, including the traditional Al-Qatt Al-Asiri.
“The dream of getting this art added to the UNESCO’s list has finally come true, and artworks from Asir are now featured at international exhibitions,” he said.
“Today, we have an international platform to share our love for this art. We are now with Misk in New York, showcasing our heritage to the world.
“This is proof that our leadership believes in the role of this heritage and that the Misk Foundation is flexible in embracing this cultural treasure and sharing it with the world in the best way.”
Saudi artist Fatima Faya said that cooperation between several artists and the institute meant “the art of Al-Qatt Al-Asiri shines again.”
Misk’s first exhibition was held on March 21 at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC during the Saudi crown prince’s visit.
The Misk Art Institute is a cultural organization operating under the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (Misk) as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The institute encourages grassroots artistic production in Saudi Arabia and enables cultural diplomacy and international exchange.
Young Saudi artists find a voice in major New York exhibit
Young Saudi artists find a voice in major New York exhibit
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Kingdom key player in regional peace, EU official says
- Hana Jalloul Muro highlights Riyadh’s role in regional stability, economic growth and advancing EU-Saudi strategic ties
Riyadh: Hana Jalloul Muro, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has praised Saudi Arabia’s role as a “reliable partner” to the EU.
Describing the Kingdom as a “key international actor,” she highlighted its pivotal role in regional stability, including brokering peace talks on Ukraine, promoting peace in Palestine, and supporting stable governments in Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic.
“Saudi is a reliable partner because it is a country that has demonstrated that with Vision 2030, only in the last five, six years, it has changed impressively. It has a major women’s labor force, a very low youth unemployment rate and is growing very fast,” Muro told Arab News.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, she added: “Saudi Arabia is becoming a key major player in the international arena now — for peace conversations on Ukraine, supporting the Syrian government, paying Syria’s external debt, stabilizing the government in Lebanon, promoting peace in Gaza, in Palestine and pushing for a ceasefire, too.
“So, I think it is a very key international actor, very important in the region for stability,” Muro added.
Explaining why she considers the Kingdom a reliable partner, Muro said: “It’s a country that knows how to see to the East and to the West.”
Muro also serves as the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Saudi Arabia, and is responsible for drafting reports on legislative and budgetary proposals and other key bilateral issues.
In mid-December 2025, the European Parliament endorsed a road map to elevate EU-Saudi relations into a full-fledged strategic partnership, which Saudi Ambassador to the EU Haifa Al-Jedea described as “an important milestone” in bilateral ties.
The report highlighted the possibility of Saudi-EU visa-free travel, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to advancing a safe, mutually beneficial visa-free arrangement with the five GCC countries to ensure equal treatment under the new EU visa strategy.
“One of the key hot topics is the visa waiver to Saudi Arabia, which I always support,” Muro said. “Saudi Arabia has, as you are aware, been in cascade for five years, and I think we need to work toward a visa waiver.”
The report also highlighted the economic significance of Saudi tourists to EU member states, particularly for the hospitality, retail and cultural sectors, while emphasizing that Saudi citizens do not pose a source of irregular migration pressure.
When asked about the status of the visa waiver, Muro said: “The approval, it is the recommendation to the commission to take into account its importance. We need to advance on that because we are in the framework of this strategic partnership agreement that covers many topics, so this is why the visa waiver is a central key issue.”
She added: “I think by now we recognize the international role of Saudi Arabia and how important it is to us as a neighbor — not only for security, counter-terrorism and energy, but for everything. We need to get closer to partners like the GCC, Saudi specifically.
“And I think that we need to take Saudi Arabia as a very big ally of ours,” Muro said.
During her time in Riyadh, Muro took part in a panel at the forum focused on the EU-KSA business and investment dialogue, and advancing the critical raw materials value chain.
On the sidelines, she met Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji to discuss ways to further strengthen Saudi-EU relations.
She also met Hala Al-Tuwaijri, chairwoman of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, saying: “I have to congratulate you and the government, your country, on doing a great job.”
