Riyadh just wrapped its seventh Tuwaiq Sculpture event and the city will never look quite the same. Twenty five artists from 18 countries spent weeks carving and shaping massive works right on Tahlia Street as crowds watched. Now those pieces head into the permanent Riyadh Art collection to stand in public spaces across the capital for years to come.
Global Artists Turn Local Stone and Metal Into City Landmarks
Artists arrived in Riyadh early this year to take part in the live sculpting phase from January 12 onward. They worked with Saudi granite pulled straight from the local landscape and reclaimed metal that carried its own stories of previous use. Five artists focused mainly on metal while 20 shaped granite and stone.
The public could walk by Tahlia Street any day and see the process unfold in real time. Dust flew. Tools rang out. Decisions happened on the spot. This open approach turned the street into a living studio where people of all ages stopped to ask questions and watch skilled hands at work.
Sarah Alruwayti serves as Director of the Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium. She explained that the theme invites viewers to see artworks as part of an ongoing story rather than final objects.
“Artworks are not endpoints but moments within longer trajectories of making and encounter,” she said.
Specific pieces drew attention throughout the exhibition that ran from February 9 to 22. Žilvinas Balkevičius created Drops of Life. Saddek Wassil shaped Glory. Olou worked on Nkyekyen a ebeba which translates to something like Trace of What to Come. Saeed Gamhawi produced Veins of Life. Each piece spoke to transformation in its own way.
The open call drew more than 590 submissions from around the world. A jury of experts chose the final 25. Their selection reflected fresh ideas about sustainability material memory and how humans shape their surroundings.
Tahlia Street Chosen for Deep Ties to Riyadh History
Organizers placed the symposium on Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Street known locally as Tahlia Street for good reason. The name itself refers to desalination and this stretch once held Riyadh first major desalination plant. That project turned water scarcity into reliable supply and helped the city grow rapidly.
Artists worked in direct conversation with that legacy. Their use of local granite echoed the ancient geology of the region while reclaimed metal spoke to cycles of reuse and adaptation. The location itself became part of the message about turning challenges into lasting progress.
This choice fits perfectly with broader goals under Saudi Vision 2030. Riyadh Art aims to weave culture into daily urban life instead of keeping it behind museum doors. Each new edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture adds fresh layers to that effort.
Public Process Breaks Down Barriers Between Art and People
Making sculpture in full view changed everything. Visitors especially younger ones saw the physical effort involved. They witnessed how raw heavy materials slowly became expressive forms through patience and skill.
Alruwayti noted that public making creates a different kind of connection.
“The physical effort is visible. It is dusty demanding and real.”
People no longer felt separated from the art. They could observe artists responding to the site conversations with locals and even the changing desert light. This openness helped many see sculpture as something alive and approachable rather than distant or elite.
Talks workshops and panel discussions ran alongside the main activity. These programs brought together voices from Saudi Arabia and the wider region to discuss public art roles in growing cities. The entire event felt like a genuine exchange rather than a one way display.
New Works Will Shape Everyday Life Across Riyadh
The exhibition may have ended in late February but the real story continues. All 25 completed sculptures now join the Riyadh Art permanent collection. They will be installed in neighborhoods plazas and busy public areas throughout the city in coming months.
This matters because it moves art out of temporary events and into daily routines. Residents will pass these pieces on their regular routes to work school or prayer. Over time the sculptures will gather new meanings as people notice them in different seasons moods and moments of life.
The materials themselves carry powerful lessons about care and time. Saudi granite represents deep geological patience while reclaimed metal shows human ingenuity in giving old things new purpose. Together they model the kind of thoughtful sustainability that matches Riyadh rapid yet responsible growth.
Alruwayti hopes the works create lasting personal connections.
“I hope that sense of familiarity continues to grow. That people recognise them return to them and gradually make them part of their own daily life.”
This approach reflects how public sculpture functions best in a modern city. It offers moments of pause beauty and reflection without demanding special trips or tickets. The art simply becomes part of the shared environment.
Riyadh Art Builds Stronger Cultural Identity Step by Step
Each Tuwaiq edition since the program began has expanded the capital collection of public artworks. More than 170 artists have taken part across the years and dozens of pieces now live permanently in Riyadh. The 2026 group adds important new voices and forms to that growing visual language.
The program also supports local talent. Several Saudi artists joined the international group bringing their own perspectives on heritage and contemporary life. This mix strengthens cross cultural understanding while rooting the works firmly in the Saudi context.
For a city changing as quickly as Riyadh these sculptures provide anchors. They remind everyone that progress includes space for creativity reflection and shared memory. They show that big urban transformation can include beauty and human scale at the same time.
The success of this edition proves public art has found a natural home here. Crowds engaged enthusiastically during the live phase and the exhibition. The conversation around these works will likely continue for decades as new generations discover them in their city.
As the sculptures settle into their final locations across Riyadh they will keep telling stories of transformation. They carry traces of the hands that shaped them the street where they were born and the people who stopped to watch them come alive. In that way they truly embody the theme. The future is already forming in what we build and care for today.
