Saudi Arabia invites dialogue with American artists and designers, but there’s pushback

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Qaṣr Al-Farīd, an archaeological site located in AlUla in Saudi Arabia, where Desert X is set to take place next year. Photo credit: Desert X

Saudi Arabia has an image problem. But it has become a new frontier for American artists and designers. We look at the controversy surrounding site-specific art festival Desert X's planned expansion to Saudi Arabia, and we talk to an LA-based consultant for the futuristic megacity of Neom. Both are bankrolled by Mohammad Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. How do designers deal with the blowback?

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