Organised collaboratively by Desert X and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Desert X AlUla – the first site-responsive exhibition of its kind in Saudi Arabia – closed to the public on March 7 2020 having welcomed over 9,000 visitors over its five-week run. The exhibition fostered cross-cultural dialogue, creating exchange among artists, curators and the international and local community.

Newly released Desert X AlUla podcast series gives voice to participating artists from Saudi Arabia, the neighbouring region, Europe and the US. The Desert X AlUla podcast series provides a global platform for the voices of featured artists and carries forth the discussion and exchange fostered throughout the exhibition.

Royal Commission for AlUla also announced that the canyon where the exhibition took place will become a permanent arts hub for AlUla.

Desert X AlUla is part of a wider, long-term plan to reinvigorate, protect and preserve AlUla, rooted in a Cultural Manifesto developed to deliver a sensitive, sustainable transformation of the region. One of the RCU’s key ambitions within this framework is to develop AlUla as a new international centre for the artistic community. That means creating new museums, gallery spaces, arts and culture experiences in the landscape, and opportunities for creativity and cultural production to flourish in its open-air environment.

The next edition of Desert X is scheduled to open in the Coachella Valley, California from February 6 to April 11, 2021.