The Art of Activism and the Activism of Art

Art in Saudi Arabia spotlights the role that contemporary art will play in the country’s new push for sweeping internal reform and cultural diplomacy. As the Kingdom mobilizes its vast resources behind the economic and social priorities of its Vision 2030 strategy and simultaneously seeks new terms of engagement with the international community, art is set to take centre stage and a barrage of planned events, installations, public projects, biennales and museum openings is beginning to draw in many from the international art community. This book looks at both the historic and contemporary contexts for this recent state-led focus on art in the Kingdom; at how its planned events and programs stand apart, in resource, scale and ambition, from seemingly similar initiatives coming from that region; and at both the opportunities and pitfalls, not just for the burgeoning art world of Saudi Arabia, but for practitioners and professionals around the world.