Alia Ahmad brings Riyadh's landscapes to Hong Kong

Welcome to AL-MONITOR Riyadh.

Saudi artist Alia Ahmad is staging her first exhibition in Hong Kong at White Cube, introducing Asian audiences to her vibrant, large-scale expressionist canvases inspired by the industrial and desert landscapes of her hometown, Riyadh. Elsewhere, we highlight the opening at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah of the second chapter of the two-part exhibition “Global Positioning System (GPS)” exploring how navigation systems shape contemporary life. Also featured is the third Solo Series exhibition at Misk Art Institute, presenting the work of Saudi artists Fouad Mougharbel and Saad Almasari, alongside highlights from the Saudi Film Commission’s participation at the 79th Cannes Film Festival and a new Persian restaurant in Riyadh.

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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: ‘In Time, A Bloom’

Alia Ahmad. “In Time, A Bloom.” 2026. Oil on canvas. (Photo courtesy of the artist. Photography by Kitmin Lee for White Cube)

Saudi artist Alia Ahmad is known for her vibrant, large-scale expressionist canvases that explore themes of memory, place and cultural heritage. Inspired by the industrial and desert landscapes of her native Riyadh and the surrounding Najd region, Ahmad’s vivid paintings contrast the Saudi capital’s arid climate with urban expansion and natural flora.

Over the last few years, Ahmad has attracted significant interest from the global art community for her abstract works featuring thick, vibrantly colored oil textures. Her work is now on view in “In Time, A Bloom” at White Cube Hong Kong. The solo show marks her first exhibition in Hong Kong, expanding her international visibility and introducing Asian audiences to Ahmad’s distinctive painterly language, where resilient desert flora merge with digital aesthetics.

The paintings, developed in her Riyadh studio during a period of regional uncertainty, reflect resilience, emotional refuge and transformation, while also entering into a dialogue between Gulf visual traditions and East Asian landscape histories.

“This exhibition feels very different from my previous bodies of work because it became much more centered around floral and botanical forms,” Ahmad told Al-Monitor. “I was interested in capturing the way plant life appears almost unexpectedly within the landscape, and how these moments of color and growth can completely alter the emotional atmosphere of a place. The works feel looser and more open, with the surface itself becoming almost overgrown.”

Date: May 20 - June 27

Location: White Cube, Hong Kong

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Ziba

Zesty Persian kebab spread at Ziba. (Photo courtesy of Ziba)

Lovers of Persian cuisine will delight in a new restaurant in the Saudi capital. Located in Riyadh’s As Sulimaniyah district, the restaurant blends traditional flavors with a contemporary design, incorporating references to Iranian heritage such as Heriz carpets alongside modern interiors.

The menu features classic and modern dishes, including Chelo Mahicheh, a traditional Persian dish of tender, slow-braised lamb shank served over fragrant saffron rice; Joojeh Kebab, grilled chunks of chicken with spices; and Ghormez Sabzi, a traditional herb stew prepared with dried lime, herbs and spinach, simmered in a pot with chunks of tender beef and red kidney beans.

Location: As Sulimaniyah, Riyadh

Find more information here.

3. Riyadh diary

Devadeep Gupta. “Man on Boat.” 2017. Digital prints on Duratrans. (Photo courtesy of the artist and Jameel Art)

• ‘Global Positioning System (GPS)’

A major two-part exhibition titled “Global Positioning System (GPS)” explores how navigation systems shape contemporary life. The second chapter is now on view at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah following its debut at Jameel Arts Center in Dubai. Curated by Indranjan Banerjee and Lucas Morin, the exhibition showcases a wide range of artistic practices, including large-scale video installations, research-led works and conceptual pieces.

GPS traces the diverse cultures that converge across maritime routes, reflecting the material remnants of centuries of movement and migration shaped by trade, pilgrimage and displacement. The exhibition focuses on the Red Sea as part of an expansive network of exchange and relations, bound through ecological and social currents.

Date: until Oct. 26

Location: Hayy Jameel, Jeddah

Find more information here.

• Solo Series: Fouad Mougharbel and Saad Almasari

The third edition of the Solo Series at Misk Art Institute presents the work of Fouad Mougharbel and Saad Almasari, two established Saudi artists whose practices have contributed to the growth of Saudi Arabia’s art scene and the broader narrative of its visual culture.

Mougharbel's practice continues to focus on one place: Madinah Almunawwarah. His exhibition, “Taibah: Remnants and Solace,” guides viewers through the Prophet's Mosque, historic architecture and the rhythms of daily life, seeking to reconstruct the experience of Madinah’s spiritual atmosphere. His exhibition is presented as part of the third edition of the Solo Series.

Almasari’s exhibition, “Geometry as Thought,” presents a practice rooted in the structural principles of Islamic art. Geometry, proportion and repetition feature prominently in the works on view across various media, including painting, sculpture and ceramics.

Date: until Aug. 1

Location: Misk Art Institute, Prince Faisal bin Fahd Arts Hall, Riyadh

Find more information here.

• Saudi Film Commission participated in the 79th Cannes Film Festival

 The Saudi Film Commission participated in the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which took place on May 12-23. The participation included an official delegation from the commission as well as Saudi filmmakers taking part in a series of panel discussions, networking events and a roundtable on major transformations in content creation.

Alongside the Cultural Development Fund and MBC Studios, the Saudi Film Commission highlighted new productions, including three films backed by the foundation that were selected for the 2026 Cannes official program, including “Parallel Tales” in Competition and “Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep” in Un Certain Regard. In addition, the Saudi pavilion at Cannes showcased major entities from the kingdom such as the Ministry of Investment, NEOM and the Royal Commission for AlUla, highlighting the country’s expanding media industry.

Find more information here.

4. Book of the week: ‘The Peacock and the Sparrow’

This critically acclaimed debut spy thriller was written by I.S. Berry, a former CIA operations officer who served in Baghdad and spent two years in Bahrain during the Arab Spring uprisings. Published in 2023, the novel won the 2024 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and draws heavily on the author’s real-world experience.

The book follows Shane Collins, a weary CIA spy stationed in Bahrain, near Saudi Arabia, for his final tour, where he is uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency activity against the monarchy. Collins meets Almaisa, a beautiful and mysterious artist, and he uncovers a side of Bahrain that most expatriates never experience. 

5. View from Riyadh

Fireworks illuminate the sky over Katara Cultural Village in Doha on May 28, 2026 on the second day of Eid al-Adha. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)

6. By the numbers

• The Saudi Film Commission's participation in the 79th Cannes Film Festival reflects its growing presence at international film forums, following involvement in 16 regional and global film festivals in 2025.
• Saudi Arabia’s cinema industry continues to show robust growth, with the Saudi Film Commission reporting total box office revenue of $245 million (SAR 921 million) in 2025, 9% compared to 2024.