Nouf AlMoneef on Saudi Arabia’s Eminent Light and Art Festival

Noor Riyadh has rapidly become one of the world’s most ambitious light and art festivals, transforming the Saudi capital each year with monumental installations that illuminate its streets, parks, heritage sites and, this year, its brand-new metro stations. In this conversation, director Nouf AlMoneef speaks about the festival’s origins within the wider Riyadh Art programme, its mission to make art part of everyday life and the collaborative curatorial process behind each edition. She also reflects on the region’s fascination with light, the evolving identity of Riyadh’s art scene and the joy visitors find in encounters shaped by illumination.

Chloe Stead How would you describe Noor Riyadh to someone who has never experienced the festival before?

Nouf AlMoneef Noor Riyadh is an annual, citywide light art festival that spans the streets, parks, historical sites and – for the first time – the recently opened metro stations of Riyadh. The festival brings together artists from around the world to respond to the city with site-specific commissions and pre-existing artworks.

CS Could you tell us a bit about the history of the festival – how it began and why it was created?

NAM Noor Riyadh festival sits within the Riyadh Art programme, an ambitions public art initiative launched back in 2019 as one of the four grand projects of Riyadh city, alongside King Salman Park, Green Riyadh and Sports Boulevard. Riyadh Art and Noor Riyadh both aim to make art accessible for everyone – to integrate it into people’s daily lives.

CS What can visitors look forward to in this year’s edition, ‘In the Blink of an Eye’? Are there any works you’re particularly excited to see realized?

NAM This year, we have 60 beautiful artworks that are all distinct yet still speak to each other. Among the most striking are James Clar’s When the Sky Reaches the Ground (A Moment Frozen) [2025] – a massive sculptural bolt of frozen lightning, constructed from neon and grid scaffolding – and Nebras Aljoaib’s Between Light and Stone [2025], in which a suspended boulder hovers between two vertical panels of backlit translucent material within a minimal steel frame. Clar’s installation symbolizes both technological mastery and the nuanced ways communication systems shape our perception of reality, while Aljoaib’s work reflects on the tension between rooted history and rapid transformation in Saudi Arabia.

CS I’d love to know more about how you select artists for each edition. Do you mainly invite artists who already work with light as a medium, or do you also look for those exploring it for the first time?

NAM Every year, we collaborate with amazing international and local curators – for this edition, for example, we worked with Mami Kataoka, Sara Almutlaq and Li Zhenhua. They partner closely with our artistic team to invite artists and realize their works in different city spaces. We especially enjoy encouraging artists to experiment with light for the first time. We’ve supported calligraphy artists in translating their work into light, for instance, and painters in creating digital or interactive pieces inspired by their paintings.

CS Could you share a bit about your own background and what led you to your current role as director of Noor Riyadh?

NAM My background is in interior architecture and design, so I’ve been always fascinated by transforming spaces through art and light. When I heard about the festival, it was music to my ears. Previously, I’d always worked in enclosed spaces, so it was very different and challenging at first. But being able to give opportunities to artists – to provide them with a platform to show their creativity to the world – is incredibly rewarding.

CS There are now several major light festivals across the Gulf. What do you think is driving this popularity? Does light art hold a particular cultural or symbolic meaning for people in the region?

NAM Light has a deep meaning in our culture. It’s a symbol of guidance, faith and transformation. I’m glad that we’re seeing a lot of festivals happening in the region. It’s a beautiful way of bringing people together, and the fact that these festivals take place in public space means that everyone can enjoy them.

CS What kinds of reactions do you get from visitors?

AM Light is elemental. It’s the first thing you see when you open your eyes. It’s so clear from visitors’ expressions that experiencing these works makes them happy. In the past, we’ve had pieces installed along the King Fahd Causeway, and I can see people in their cars talking about them and snapping pictures.

CS Stepping back a bit, what do you see as the main strengths of Riyadh’s art scene today?

NAM When we speak to artists, curators and institutions, they now link Riyadh to creativity, design and art. It’s becoming a global art city, which is so exciting. This growth opens doors for new collaborations with international partners and gives us a platform to share authentic stories about Saudi Arabia.

‘In the Blink of an Eye’ is on view at various locations across Riyadh from 20 November until 6 December

_{Main image: Chris Levine, Light is Love, 2024, installation view. Courtesy: the artist and Noor Riyadh}