Ithra brings MENA design to Milan

Welcome to AL-MONITOR Riyadh.

Ithra, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, unveiled plans at Milan Design Week for its November 2026 inaugural Design Week, in collaboration with Isola Design Group. Elsewhere, Hafez Gallery heads to Art Dubai with a solo booth by Lana Khayat; ATHR Gallery hosts a pop-up in Jeddah; and a new Najdi restaurant opens in Diriyah.

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Happy reading,

Rebecca

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Riyadh's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: ‘Default is Not Universal - The same design. Different perceptions’ 

A view of “Default Is Not Universal - The same design. Different perceptions” in Milan. (Photography by Anwyn Howarth)

Taking place during Milan Design Week, Milan- and Dubai-based design platform Isola Design Group has curated “Default Is Not Universal — The Same Design, Different Perceptions,” an exhibition commissioned by Ithra, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, featuring designers from the Middle East and North Africa.

Participating designers and design studios include Abdulla Buhijji, Chafic Mekawi, Davina Atallah, Fajr Basri, Nermin Habib and Obliq. The works on display, created with the support of AI, invite viewer participation through touch, sight and smell, and explore how people from different cultural backgrounds interpret the same image, object or form in distinct ways. The exhibition will travel to Saudi Arabia later this year, where feedback gathered from audiences in Milan will be presented as a collective map of perception.

During the event, Ithra announced on April 22 the launch of its inaugural Design Week, set to take place this November in Dhahran, in collaboration with Isola Design Group. The event marks a new chapter in the center’s role on the regional and international design landscape.

“Our exhibition invites visitors to actively shape outcomes through interaction, and this participatory approach reflects the soul of Ithra Design Week and its emphasis on design as a collaborative process,” Shahad Al Wazani, Ithra Design Week lead, told Al-Monitor. “At the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, we encouraged this dynamic via Ithra Design Week’s program predecessor, Tanween, through workshops, interactive panels, and collective creation with the goal of advancing design practice.”

Date: Until April 26

Location: Fondazione Riccardo Catella, via Gaetano de Castillia, 28, Milan

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Jareed Samhan

A view of the terrace at Jareed Samhan. (Courtesy of Jareed Samhan)

A new upscale Saudi restaurant in Diriyah offers an immersive take on the culinary traditions of the Najd region. Located within the elegant Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jareed Samhan’s menu features classics such as muqalal — finely chopped, tender meat sauteed with onions, tomatoes and spices — alongside matazeez, small dough discs cooked in a rich meat and vegetable stew, and kabsa, fragrant basmati rice topped with spiced, slow-cooked chicken. Each dish is reinterpreted with a modern touch and served in refined interiors that blend Najdi heritage with contemporary design, featuring local timbers, bold columns and stone flooring.

Location: Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Find more information here.

3. Riyadh diary

Lana Khayat. “The Day Opens in Yellow.” 2025 Mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Hafez Gallery)

• Saudi’s Hafez Gallery to present Lana Khayat during Art Dubai

At Art Dubai in May, Jeddah- and Riyadh-based Hafez Gallery will present a solo booth by Lebanese artist Lana Khayat, whose recent works explore cycles of resilience. Her vibrantly layered abstractions offer a poetic response to contemporary life in the Middle East. The presentation marks her first solo booth at an international art fair. Khayat’s practice spans textile, calligraphy, nature and abstraction. Working between the United Arab Emirates and Spain, she draws on the contrasting landscapes of the Arabian desert and the Mediterranean, weaving botanical forms, Arabic and Tifinagh script (an ancient alphabet used to write Berber languages), and stitched elements into richly textured compositions.

Date: May 14-17

Location: Art Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai

Find more information here. 

• ATHR’s creative pop-up

ATHR Gallery will host a pop-up event at its gallery in Jeddah, showcasing a curated

exhibition of artworks by artists from the gallery’s roster, alongside a refined

selection of vendors spanning art, design and jewelry. Participating artists include Asma Bahmim, Nasser Al Salem, Zahrah Alghamdi, Dalal Al Obaidi, Ayman Yossri Daydban and Sultan bin Fahad, among others.

Date: May 1-3

Location: ATHR Gallery, Jeddah

Find more information here.

• Iqaa Almajaz

Saudi poet Abdullah Al-Anzi will deliver a special performance blending rhythm, imagery and soulful poetry with live music. The performance aims to celebrate the beauty of his verses, with some poems presented for the first time in a style resonating with current changes.

Date: April 30

Location: The Warehouse, JAX District, Diriyah

Find more information here.

4. Book of the week: ‘Queen of the Desert’

Author Georgina Howell tells the story of Gertrude Bell, an English explorer, archaeologist, diplomat, author, poet and photographer who played a pivotal role in the creation of modern Iraq. One of the most influential women of the 19th and 20th centuries, she was among the few women of her era to hold significant power within the British Empire, serving as the Oriental Secretary in Baghdad. This book draws from Bell’s own writings, both published and unpublished, recounting the story of a woman who transcended the restrictions of her class, age and gender to forge a remarkable and enduring legacy.

5. View from Milan

Elif Resitoglu, creative director and co-founder of Isola Design Group, with Shahad Al Wazani, Ithra Design Week lead, announce Ithra Design Week on April 22, 2026, during the exhibition “Default Is Not Universal - The same design. Different perceptions” at Fondazione Riccardo Catella, Milan. (Photography by Marianna Bertoni)

6. By the numbers

• Dhahran is located in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on the Gulf coast, about 400 kilometers (248 miles) east of Riyadh. The city sits at the heart of the kingdom’s energy sector and is an emerging hub for cultural investment.
• A key landmark, Ithra (King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture) spans over 80,000 square meters (about 20 acres) and houses performance spaces as well as a library, cinema and museum. It attracted more than 1.2 million visitors in 2024.