Design and Architecture
Saudi Arabia invites dialogue with American artists and designers, but there’s pushback
Saudi Arabia has an image problem. But it has become a new frontier for American artists and designers.
By Frances Anderton • • 28m ListenSaudi 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?
In this episode
2 storiesEd Ruscha, Neville Wakefield on Desert X in Saudi Arabia
Desert X, an exhibition of site-specific art, has taken place in the Coachella Valley, first in 2017 and then this year.
Read the story14 minNeom, the futuristic city coming to Saudi Arabia
Plans to bring the site-specific art exhibition Desert X to Saudi Arabia have prompted a debate about art, ethics and questions of engagement with a regime stained by the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Read the story13 min
