Diriyah Art Futures: summer programme talks and workshops on new media art in Riyadh
Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the MENA region’s first hub dedicated to New Media Arts, has announced its schedule of activities running until 19 July.
These events are in addition to DAF's ongoing exhibition, Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World, which sheds light on the development of New Media practices in the region. With over 70 artworks by over 40 artists, Maknana presents the ways Arab artists have envisioned technology through the themes of Automation, Autonomy, Ripples, and Glitch. The exhibition will conclude on 19 July 2025.
The summer programme is available for artists, hobbyists and children and includes a range of learning opportunities.
On Thursday, 19 June, artist and educator Shady Elnoshokaty delivered a lecture on innovative concepts in Media Arts education, reflecting on teaching digital art in Egypt and the wider Arab world. Elnoshokaty then led a two-day masterclass, from Friday 20 June, to Saturday 21 June, titled Ready-Made Dreams - Immersive Narratives, in which participants constructed substantial stories from found visual content using video, photography, and animation.
Looking forward to July, the programme will be enticing. On Thursday 3 July, ScanLAB Projects will provide a lecture and screening, Cartographies of a Future, on the ways that 3D scanning reshapes our understanding of photography. This will then be followed by a two-day masterclass on Friday, 4 July, and Saturday, 5 July, in which Matt Shaw of ScanLAB Projects will encourage participants to reimagine personal archives through experiential 3D scanning technology.
Also on Saturday 5 July, artist Ali Alaifi will conduct a workshop on Motion Design for Film and Media, instructing participants to create their own title design projects.
Later in July, a book symposium on Saturday 12 July, Rewiring Narratives: New Media Art from the Arab World, will critically rethink media art genealogies in the Arab world.
Artist Raed Ibrahim will share reflections on Thursday 17 July, with his lecture Traces of Change: Processing Reality Through Art, narrating his journey through political and social transformations.
Wednesday 18 July, will include an Introduction to Pixel Art workshop with Saudi artist Khaled Makhshoush and an entertaining Art Bot workshop for children aged 8–12.
The programme will conclude on Thursday 19 July, with Raed Ibrahim's masterclass, Material as a Narrative Tool, and a workshop for young people (13–16 years) as Sound Sculptors, where they will learn to construct playable sound sculptures.
Visit: instagram.com/dafmoc
Evangeline Elsa is a Dubai-based journalist with 15 years of experience. She enjoys telling success stories and writing on lifestyle, arts, interiors, F&B, and Korean culture. A homebody at heart, she paints, sings, reads Substacks, and dotes on her rescue dog, Pepper.
