Latest news with #Maknana:AnArchaeologyofNewMediaArtinthe
Arab News
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
‘Maknana' exhibition at Diriyah to feature works of over 40 Arab artists
Diriyah Art Futures, the first new media arts hub in the MENA region, has announced its second major exhibition titled Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World. Co-curated by artists and curators Haytham Nawar and Ala Younis, the exhibition will run from April 21 to July 19 at DAF at Diriyah, Riyadh. Bringing together works by more than 40 artists from the MENA region, the exhibition features pioneering voices from across the region who have embraced and redefined technology as a medium for creative expression. The exhibition includes notable Saudi artists such as Ahmed Mater, Muhannad Shono, and ARC (Abdullah Rashed), whose practices reflect the Kingdom's dynamic and evolving relationship with new media. They are joined by influential artists from across the region such as VJ Um Amel (Laila Shereen Sakr, Egypt); Emily Jacir (Palestine); Akram Zaatari (Lebanon), Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar (Egypt), Hassan Meer (Oman), Hicham Berrada (Morocco/France), Mona Hatoum (Palestine), Walid Raad (Palestine) and Farah Al-Qasimi (UAE). Spanning decades and disciplines, from early video art and experimental film to generative systems and expanded media, Maknana offers a rare survey of how Arab artists have engaged with and reimagined the digital landscape on their own terms. The Arabic term 'Maknana,' translated as automation, inspires the exhibition's central inquiry: how Arab artists have navigated, repurposed, and challenged technologies to shape their own creative vocabularies. The exhibition is structured across four thematic sections, Automation, Autonomy, Ripples, and Glitch, that trace recurring artistic concerns and gestures across different generations, geographies, and technological paradigms. Highlighting a dynamic constellation of artistic practices, Maknana includes rare archival works, recent digital experiments, and new commissions from artists working across the region and diaspora. Their works engage with urgent sociopolitical contexts, from networked resistance and machine logic to memory preservation, speculative ecologies, and glitch aesthetics. In tandem with the exhibition, Diriyah Art Futures will present a public program of talks, performances, screenings, and workshops, expanding on the themes of Maknana and offering visitors direct engagement with artists and thought leaders in the field of new media art.
FACT
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- FACT
Diriyah Art Futures returns with a tech twist
Titled Maknana, this exhibition will shine a spotlight on the use of technology in art. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been making waves on all fronts, and this is especially true of the creative sector. Cementing its place as a global leader in this space, the Kingdom has just unveiled the return of Diriyah Art Futures. Taking place in Riyadh's Diriyah district, from 21 April to 19 July, Diriyah Art Futures is back with a second exhibition. Titled Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World, this exhibition will shine a spotlight on how technology in art is now becoming a part of creative expression. The exhibition, co-curated by artists and curators Haytham Nawar and Ala Younis, is called Maknana, which translates to automation. It's all about exploring how Arab artists have engaged with technology — not just by using it, but also by questioning it to say something powerful and personal. Split into four sections — Automation, Autonomy, Ripples, and Glitch — the exhibition will trace trends and tech experiments across generations and borders. Maknana at Diriyah Arts Futures will feature over 40 artists from across the region. Here, you'll find everything from vintage video art and archival pieces to new digital experiments. Some names to look out for include Ahmed Mater, Muhannad Shono, Emily Jacir, Mona Hatoum, Akram Zaatari, Hassan Meer, Hicham Berrada and Farah Al-Qasimi to name a few. In addition to artworks, Diriyah Art Futures is serving up a full cultural experience. Here, you can enjoy talks, live performances, film screenings, and hands-on workshops. So, if you're on the hunt for something artsy and inspiring to do in Riyadh this summer, make sure Diriyah Art Futures is on your list. You never know, it might just spark your next big idea. GO: Visit for more information.
