tuwaiq sculpture 2027

Tuwaiq Sculpture is an annual international sculpture symposium and a cornerstone of Riyadh Art, one of the largest public art initiatives in the world today.

Now entering its eighth edition, Tuwaiq Sculpture 2027 will bring together 20 local and international sculptors to create original works that will become part of Riyadh’s evolving public realm. The entire creative process will take place on site in a dedicated location in Riyadh and will be open to the public, offering an opportunity to witness the transformation of raw material into finished artwork in real time.

The aim is to encourage new artistic dialogues in line with Riyadh Art’s vision, and to provide a platform where local and international artists can exchange ideas, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully to the cultural landscape of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Curatorial Theme

Where Roots Run Deep takes as a starting point the idea that a place is shaped not only by what appears on its surface, but by the layers of land, memory, culture, and lived experience that give it depth and continuity. Roots are understood not simply as a connection to the past, but as a source ofresilience, growth, and the capacity to continually redefine a place.

Riyadh offers a compelling context for this exploration: a city deeply rooted in its land, history, culture, and people, while undergoing profound transformation. Here, the rooted and the emerging exist in dialogue; inherited knowledge meets new possibilities, and the past continues to inform the ways inwhich the future takes shape. Transformation, in this sense, is not a departure from what came before, but an extension of it.

Making Your Work

Tuwaiq Sculpture is a live-making programme. Selected artists will produce their work on site in Riyadh, in the open, over a 3 weeks period. The making is part of the project. Visitors, fellow artists and the public will see ideas develop into finished sculpture, and the site works as studio, workshop and exhibition at once. If you are selected, you will have your own working area on site with [power, water, shade and secure storage], and a production team will support you from arrival through to installation. Your proposal should show how your process will work in a shared, visible setting: how the work looks as it develops, how dust, noise and materials will be managed, and how you would like to engage with people who stop to watch.

Before applying, please download and carefully read the Tuwaiq Sculpture 2027 Artist Guidelines here, which include the curatorial theme, proposal requirements, materials, technical specifications and FAQs.