There is a specific kind of silence that exists only in the high desert of AlUla. It is not an absence of sound, but a presence of weight; the heavy, golden stillness of sandstone canyons that have watched civilizations rise and fall for millennia. In the heart of Wadi AlFann this January, that silence is being interrupted by something extraordinary.
The fourth edition of Desert X AlUla, an international open-air biennial, has officially cemented Saudi Arabia’s place on the global contemporary art map. This year, the exhibition feels both more intimate and more expansive than its predecessors, guided by a theme inspired by the visionary Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran: Space Without Measure.
Wandering through the site, it becomes clear that this is far more than a "gallery without walls." It is a conversation. The eleven artists selected for this edition have not simply placed objects in the desert; they have interrogated the earth itself.
Co-curators Wejdan Reda and Zoé Whitley, alongside Artistic Directors Neville Wakefield and Raneem Farsi, have orchestrated a journey that feels like a voyage. As visitors move from the landing pad toward the cardinal canyons radiating North, South, East, and West, the scale of the works shifts from the monumental to the microscopic.
In one moment, a visitor might stand before a kinetic sculpture that hums with the desert wind; in the next, they may find themselves drawn to sound-based explorations that seem to pull echoes from deep beneath the sand. There is a profound sense of place throughout the exhibition. Unlike many international art festivals where works feel like they could exist anywhere, these installations are tethered to the specific terrain and history of AlUla.
What strikes observers most is the palpable sense of craftsmanship and sustainability. In a world increasingly dominated by digital rendering, Desert X AlUla 2026 leans heavily into the tactile. Light hits surfaces carved from local stone and structures built using traditional rammed earth techniques, highlighting a commitment to limiting ecological impact.
The artistic narrative is woven together by a diverse group of visionaries who bridge the gap between regional tradition and global innovation. Sara Abdu explores the intersection of poetry and geology through her rammed earth walls, while Mohammad Alfaraj presents a living installation centered on a labyrinth palm structure. The exhibition also features a special historic dialogue with five geometric works by the late Saudi modernist Mohammed AlSaleem, alongside Tarek Atoui’s electro-acoustic "water songs" that treat the landscape as a musical instrument. International perspectives further expand the horizon, from Bahraini-Danish’s architectural inquiries and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons’s vibrant, Yoruba-inspired botanical sculptures to Agnes Denes’s The Living Pyramid and Ibrahim El-Salahi’s "meditation trees." Rounded out by the intricate concepts of Basmah Felemban, the atmospheric fables of Vibha Galhotra, and Héctor Zamora’s structural interventions, the collective line-up transforms the wadi into a sanctuary of human thought.
The experience extends far beyond the visual. At the Visitor Pavilion, the air is frequently filled with the sounds of the AlUla Music Hub, creating a multisensory layer to the desert trek. Guided art hikes at sunset offer a physical challenge that rewards participants with views of the installations as they transform under the purple and orange hues of the desert sky.
For those looking to engage more deeply, the programming is remarkably participatory. Artist-led workshops invite audiences to explore concepts and materials in direct response to the environment. At night, stargazing tours connect the ancient celestial navigation of the Nabataeans with the modern, soaring imagination of the contemporary works.
Desert X AlUla serves as a "pre-opening" teaser for Wadi AlFann (Valley of the Arts), the permanent monumental museum slated to fully unveil in 2028. It acts as a precursor to a future where AlUla is not just a historical site, but a living, breathing space of global culture.
As Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), noted, these commissions create spaces that "honor AlUla’s heritage while inviting visitors into its present, where the ancient and contemporary meet." As the stars emerge over the "Space Without Measure," it becomes evident that Desert X AlUla does not just ask the public to look at art; it asks them to look at the land and the infinite horizons of human ingenuity differently.
Desert X AlUla 2026 runs from 16 January to 28 February 2026. For more information, visit: www.experiencealula.com/en/whats-on/events/desert-x
