Exploring the Landmark Exhibition at Arduna: A Fusion of Contemporary Art and Culture

AlUla, Saudi Arabia: The pioneering exhibition Arduna will open to the public from 1 February to 15 April 2026 as part of the fifth edition of the AlUla Arts Festival. Presented by Arts AlUla and the forthcoming contemporary art museum in AlUla, Arduna is a collaborative co-curation with Centre Pompidou, with the support of AFALULA (French Agency for AlUla development), bringing together more than 80 diverse artworks from Saudi Arabia, the MENA region, and beyond.

Arduna - Contemporary art museum in AlUla

Arduna, which translates to “our land” in English, offers audiences an early glimpse into the curatorial vision of AlUla's future contemporary art museum, a global institution rooted in the region's cultural oasis and heritage. The showcased works are drawn from the Royal Commission for AlUla's (RCU) growing collection, alongside significant pieces from the collection of the Musée National d'Art Moderne - Centre Pompidou. The exhibition is co-curated by Candida Pestana with associate curator Ftoon AlThaedi from the Royal Commission for AlUla, and Anna Hiddleston with associate curator Noémie Fillon from Centre Pompidou.

Artistic direction and curatorial concept

As an oasis on the historic Incense Road that linked India and the Arabian Gulf to the Levant and Europe, AlUla represented a haven or a refuge for the traders that passed through. It was a sanctuary, a place of safekeeping where they could leave their worldly goods whilst away. It was a place of rest, contemplation and meditation - a garden within the expanse of the desert. The exhibition takes this image of the garden as a point of departure. Drawing inspiration from the site of AlUla, it will show how both modern and contemporary artists explore our evolving relationship to nature and the land. With over 80 artworks from all disciplines, it will bring together masterpieces by modern pioneering artists such as Pablo Picasso, David Hockney; Joan Mitchell and Wassily Kandinsky, alongside leading contemporary voices including Saudi artists Ayman Zedani and Manal AlDowayan, and regional artists Imran Qureshi, Samia Halaby and Etel Adnan.

Arduna - Contemporary art museum in AlUla

Organised into six chapters, the exhibition delves into nature's multiple manifestations, both real and imagined, on a journey through gardens, forests, deserts and their constellatory reflections in the cosmos. Through a display of impactful and thought-provoking artworks, it will tackle the challenges the world encounters today, examining notions of the Anthropocene, the threat of climate change, migratory displacement and the spread of urbanisation. As artists attempt to disentangle humankind's complex and often conflicted relationship with the environment, the exhibition can be seen as a plea for the shaping of new modes of co-existence between all forms of life.

Visitor experience and locations

Arduna will be a ticketed exhibition and staged within the galleries of the forthcoming contemporary art museum's pre-opening spaces, giving visitors an opportunity to explore world-class art within a setting that bridges ancient heritage and contemporary creation. As part of the AlUla Arts Festival 2026, the annual celebration that transforms the ancient city into a stage for art, design and culture, Arduna marks a key step towards the launch of AlUla's contemporary art museum.

Arduna - Contemporary art museum in AlUla

This thoughtfully collaborative exhibition reflects the museum's commitment to curatorial depth, cultural dialogue and accessibility. By presenting work on this scale, the museum advances its mission to collect and present contemporary art with depth and integrity. Through the commissioning of innovative and anchoring projects, the contemporary art museum aims to help shape the cultural discourse of today and tomorrow.

Visitors will encounter an institution that delivers profound artistic experiences, cultivating knowledge, creativity, reflection and cultural exchange. It connects audiences with meaningful encounters, fosters the development of regional talent, and positions AlUla as a vital centre in the global cultural network.

Join us at AlUla Arts Festival 2026 for a season of art, heritage, and creativity in one of the world's most extraordinary landscapes. For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com.

Arduna - Contemporary art museum in AlUla

About Arts AlUla

The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance, presenting the art of our time, and shaping a future propelled by creativity. AlUla has long been a consistent and ever-evolving hub of cultural transfer. It has been a place of passage, a crossroads for trade, and home to successive civilizations who carved, sculpted and inscribed their lives into the landscape. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.

Arts AlUla will bring to fruition a series of new initiatives, projects and exhibitions. The artwork curation will speak to RCU's vision for the continued development of AlUla's contemporary art scenes: positioning the arts as a key contributor to AlUla's character, the quality of life for its local community and the region's economic future.

Arts AlUla focuses on transferring the talents of the Saudi nation and the local AlUla community into meaningful long-standing social and economic opportunities. This is a key part of the Journey through Time masterplan bringing together the 15 different landmark destinations for culture, heritage and creativity across AlUla.