Desert X AlUla 2022

Shezad Dawood: Coral Alchemy

Shezad Dawood is an artist whose work spans sculpture, digital media, film and much more. Although Dawood’s work in Desert X AlUla, Coral Alchemy, is an ode to nature, it’s an exploration of deep time and how the geo-biological relationship between the sea and the desert highlights the urgency of the climate crisis. We explore his inspiration, background, the question of fatherhood and what puts climate at the heart of this work. Desert X AlUla is a long-term collaboration between Desert X and the Royal Commission for AlUla. Exhibitions take place every two years. Learn more at https://www.livingmuseum.com/ArtsAlUla [https://www.livingmuseum.com/ArtsAlUla]. This podcast is produced by Kerning Cultures Network.

Stephanie Deumer: Where Art Meets Science

Stephanie Deumer is a visual artist from Canada whose installations often incorporate recordings and photographs from their surroundings. For Desert X AlUla 2022, Stephanie is playing with the idea of natural vs artificial light. Inspired by biology and botany, her work allows plants to photosynthesize and grow, revealing how science and art can be intimately and beautifully interlinked. Desert X AlUla is a long-term collaboration between Desert X and the Royal Commission for AlUla. Exhibitions take place every two years. Learn more at https://www.livingmuseum.com/ArtsAlUla [https://www.livingmuseum.com/ArtsAlUla]. This podcast is produced by Kerning Cultures Network.

Neville Wakefield: The Birth of “Sarab”

Neville Wakefield, Artistic director of Desert X, takes us to where it all started. Desert X came to life to promote cross-cultural dialogues and find commonalities between its different locations, Wakefield takes us through how this happens across time and space and how to turn art into a conversation that includes everyone. He also delves into Desert X AlUla 2022 and its theme “Sarab” (Mirage) and how it was shaped by the magnificent landscape of AlUla desert where it’s taking place. Desert X AlUla is a long-term collaboration between Desert X and the Royal Commission for AlUla. Exhibitions take place every two years. Learn more at https://www.livingmuseum.com/ArtsAlUla [https://www.livingmuseum.com/ArtsAlUla]. This podcast is produced by Kerning Cultures Network.

Trailer

Desert X AlUla returns for its second edition from 11 February – 30 March 2022, placing visionary contemporary artworks by 15 Saudi and international artists amidst the extraordinary ancient desert of AlUla, in Saudi Arabia. Hear from artists around the world as they share their journey into the exhibition’s theme: mirage and oasis, both intrinsic to desert history and culture.