RIYADH: A new public artwork has been installed on the pedestrian bridge at the intersection of the King Abdulaziz and Hisham bin Abdul Malik roads in the capital, Riyadh Art announced on Wednesday.
Italian artist Angelo Bonello’s work, Run Beyond, is a light-based sculpture depicting a running figure suspended mid-leap.
Through illuminated silhouettes animated by controlled LED lighting, the artwork evokes a continuous sense of motion and rhythm.
The installation marks a new chapter for Run Beyond, which was previously presented as part of Noor Riyadh 2021, Riyadh Art’s annual light and art festival, in an earlier iteration.
Following its presentation at the festival, a new rendering of the work, created in 2022 as Edition 1, Series 2, was acquired for the Riyadh Art Permanent Collection.
Installed above a roadway and integrated into a pedestrian bridge, the work reflects Riyadh Art’s commitment to embedding art into the daily life of the city.
“We are proud to see another major public artwork installed in Riyadh as part of the Riyadh Art Permanent Collection,” said architect Badr Shenafi, senior director of Riyadh Art in a statement.
Bonello, born in 1971, is an interdisciplinary artist who explores spatial perception, movement and the transformation of landscape through performance, installation, and large-scale public works.
Trained in painting and sculpture, Bonello co-founded Kitonb in 1998 with Alberta Nunziante.
Originally conceived as an experimental theater company focused on aerial dance and performance, Kitonb has since evolved into an interdisciplinary platform for site-responsive works and major public artistic events.
Bonello has conceived and directed more than 150 projects presented in over 300 cities worldwide.
“It is an honor to see Run Beyond find a permanent home in Riyadh, a city that today stands as one of the most dynamic expressions of contemporary cultural transformation,” Bonello said in a statement.
Run Beyond forms part of the Riyadh Art Permanent Collection, a growing citywide collection of public artworks installed across streets, neighborhoods, public spaces, and key routes of movement.
Led by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, it is one of the world’s largest public art programs, and one of the capital’s four original megaprojects under Vision 2030.
Launched in 2019, the initiative aims to catalyze the capital’s transformation, enrich everyday life, and encourage creative expression and cross-cultural dialogue through art.
To date, Riyadh Art has installed 75 works across the city as a part of the Permanent Collection, with more confirmed for installation throughout 2026 and beyond.
Across its annual festivals, Noor Riyadh and Tuwaiq Sculpture, Riyadh Art has showcased over 580 works in multiple locations around the capital, attracting more than 17.3 million visits since 2019.
