Noor Riyadh announces participating artists for 2025, including more than 35 new commissions by leading international and Saudi artists

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Noor Riyadh announces the 59 participating artists for 2025, representing 24 nationalities, including 60 artworks and more than 35 new commissions in a celebration of light and art from 20 November to 6 December 2025, under the umbrella of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and Riyadh Art.

This year’s curatorial theme, “In the Blink of an Eye,” reflects the rapid transformation shaping Riyadh. The festival will present work responding to the theme by leading international and local artists, including Saad Al Howede, Monira Al Qadiri, Abdulrahman AlSoliman, James Clar, Ivana Franke, fuse*, Ayoung Kim, Shinji Ohmaki, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Muhannad Shono, with a special installation dedicated to the work of the late Safeya Binzagr (1940 – 2024), a leading figure of Saudi Arabia’s modern art movement and the first female Saudi artist to hold a solo exhibition in 1968.

The 2025 festival is led by an international curatorial team that brings together distinct perspectives on contemporary culture: Mami Kataoka (Curatorial Advisory Lead; Director, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo), Riyadh-based curator Sara Almutlaq, and Li Zhenhua (Curator and founder of Beijing Art Lab). Their vision connects Riyadh’s historical heart to its modern skyline and metro network, inviting audiences to encounter light as a medium for perception, memory, and momentum. Their festival program will see Noor Riyadh 2025 unfold across six locations: Qasr Al Hokm District, King Abdulaziz Historical Center, stc Metro Station, KAFD Metro Station, Al Faisaliah Tower, and JAX District.

Noor Riyadh echoes Riyadh Art’s mission to transform the city by sparking creativity and enriching daily lives. Since its inception, Riyadh Art has showcased more than 550 artworks by 500 Saudi and international artists, attracting more than 9.6 million visitors and spectators through its major programs.  

Through each edition, Noor Riyadh transforms everyday spaces into extraordinary encounters, enriching lives and creating a sense of shared wonder across communities.

The full list of the festival’s 2025 participating artists is:

# Artist Country 1 Addie Wagenknecht USA 2 Abdulrahman AlSoliman Saudi Arabia 3 Abdelrahman Elshahed Saudi Arabia 4 Ahmad Angawi Saudi Arabia 5 Alex Schweder USA 6 Alexandra Gelis Colombia & Canada 7 Ayoung Kim South Korea 8 atelier oï + WonderGlass Switzerland 9 Christian Partos Sweden 10 Christophe Berthonneau France 11 dies_ Italy 12 Saad Al Howede Saudi Arabia 13 Edwin van der Heide The Netherlands 14 Encor Studio Switzerland 15 Fatma Abdulhadi Saudi Arabia 16 Francesco Simeti Italy 17 fuse* Italy 18 Guillaume Cousin France 19 Hmoud Alattawi Saudi Arabia 20 Iregular Canada 21 Ivana Franke Croatia 22 James Clar Philippines & USA 23 Karolina Halatek Poland 24 Khalid Zahid Saudi Arabia 25 Kurt Hentschläger Austria 26 László Zsolt Bordos Hungary 27 Loris Cecchini Italy 28 Marnix De Nijs The Netherlands 29 Michelangelo Pistoletto Italy 30 Mohammed Farea Saudi Arabia 31 Monira Al Qadiri Kuwait 32 Muhannad Shono Saudi Arabia 33 n + n Corsino France 34 Nebras Aljoaib Saudi Arabia 35 Obaid Alsafi Saudi Arabia 36 Otolab Italy 37 Plastique Fantastique Germany 38 Random International United Kingdom 39 Rejane Cantoni Brazil 40 Robert Seidel Germany 41 Roman Hill USA & France 42 Ryoichi Kurokawa Japan 43 Safeya Binzagr Saudi Arabia 44 Saeed Gebaan Saudi Arabia 45 Shinji Ohmaki Japan 46 Shiro Takatani (Dumb Type) Japan 47 Shun Ito Japan 48 Six N. Five (Ezequiel Pini) Argentina 49 someform Studio Germany 50 Studio Above&Below United Kingdom 51 Tonoptik Russia 52 Traumnovelle Belgium 53 Vali Chincișan Romania 54 Wang Yuyang China 55 Wu Chi-Tsung Taiwan 56 ZEITGUISED Germany 57 Zhang Zengzeng China 58 Zheng Da China 59 Ziyad Alroqi Saudi Arabia

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Noor Riyadh 2025

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https://riyadhart.sa/en/noor-riyadh/

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Festival artists

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Media kit

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Press information:
For the full media kit – download here

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d61343a3-9f92-485d-97ae-4dc365cffda7