RIYADH.- Misk Art Institute is an artist-centric not for profit organization that encourages grassroots artistic production in Saudi Arabia, nurtures the appreciation of Saudi and Arab art and enables international cultural diplomacy and exchange. This year they will host the 4th edition of Misk Art Week (MAW), the organisation's flagship annual initiative at their new cultural centre in Riyadh (3 - 7 December). An engaging platform that fosters creativity, Misk Art Week aims to encourage critical thinking and problem solving, with a positive impact on the creative community. For the first time, both Saudi and international audiences will have the opportunity to engage with the programme as it takes on a new hybrid format both physically at the home of Misk Art Institute, Prince Faisal bin Fahd Fine Arts Hall, Riyadh and online.

With the theme of ‘Culture Recultivated’ this year’s Misk Art Week features 65+ pre eminent experts in the field of arts and culture, architecture and entrepreneurship, with a diverse programme of panel discussions, keynote presentations, masterclasses, workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and roundtable conversations. Misk Art Institute also launches its first annual Art Grant to support and promote Saudi artists. The debut batch of grantees will unveil their work in a group exhibition during Misk Art Week.

“Our mission at Misk Art Institute is to support the thriving art scene in the Kingdom, to act as a focal point in instigating and promoting cultural conversations in the region, and to empower artists with the platform they need to express themselves. The creativity of these individuals reflects our culture and the continuation of a journey that was initiated by a long line of pioneering artists and protagonists. The Misk Art Week programme and Art Grant are further milestones in our vision towards empowering young creatives and cultivating the Kingdom’s art arena,” said Reem Alsultan, CEO of Misk Art Institute.

Misk Art Institute also presents additional programming alongside Misk Art Week: an outdoor commission by Nawaf AlNassar, Interior Designer and Founder of 3d Jeddah, which takes inspiration from the historical town of Ad Diriyah, original home of the Saudi monarchy; Safouh Naamani: Preserving Time, a special installation of negatives and films from the archive of the late Saudi artist in collaboration with the Red Sea Film Festival; a Young Artists Digital Showcase including 52 artists with works in fine art, digital art film, photography and design; and Imprint, a photography, film and digital exhibition curated by Latifa Abdul Rahman Al Khalifa, featuring the works of 17 Saudi and Gulf artists (which runs until January 28, 2021)

The Misk Art Grant: Mukouth
The first annual Misk Art Grant aims to support and promote Saudi creatives working across several mediums and help artists realise their dream projects. With an allocation of SAR 500,000 per annum, five artists comprise the first selection of grantees who will unveil their works during Misk Art Week 2020 at an exhibition staged at Faisal bin Fahd Fine Arts Hall until 28 February 2021.

In addition to financial support, the Misk Art Grant offers creatives the opportunity to work closely with a selection of curators and mentors selected by MAI, as well as technical support. Works in the Grant will be included in the MAI art collection that will be placed at the Institute’s headquarters and loaned to other cultural organisations in the Kingdom and abroad over the coming years.




Each edition of the Misk Art Grant will present a theme and for its debut, the chosen theme is Mukouth, meaning to stay, dwell and sojourn. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, Mukouth insinuates a sense of calmness to reflect our present, while looking to the future and considering what it may hold. The theme was chosen by a committee of nominators appointed by MAI comprising of Reem Fadda (Director of Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation), Mohammed Alshammary (Multidisciplinary artist), Laila Alfaddagh (Head of Museums at Ithra, King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture) and MAI representatives.

The committee submitted over 50 nominations, of which five Saudi artists were chosen: Alaa Alghufaili, Muhannad Shono, Hmoud Alattawi, Ayman Zedani and Saad Alhowede.

• Alaa Alghufaili’s Recession consists of factors that both document and reflect on the past year during the pandemic.

• Hmoud Alattawi’s Blind Ants sculpture attempts to highlight the species of blind ants and its relation to the human experience.

• Ayman Zedani’s non-human-collaborators video installation explores the agency and vibrancy of matter through the lens of new materialist philosophies.

• Mohannad Shono’s The Book of Sand installation is an archaeological and architectural research project inspired by a fighter pilot on a training mission above the Empty Quarter.

• Saad Alhowede’s Memory Melting comprises melted plastic relics of old childhood toys and candy wrappers and proposes how collective memory can merge into one form.