Rewriting the Digital DNA of Arab Art

the EDIT staff
Apr 14
2 min read

Maknana to Debut at Diriyah Art Futures

As Riyadh continues to establish itself as the region’s cultural frontier, Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) emerges once again as the city’s most forward-thinking platform—blurring the lines between art, technology, and sociopolitical dialogue. With its new exhibition, Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World, DAF invites audiences to look beyond the surface of digital art and into the codes, glitches, and algorithms that shape its cultural soul.

Running from April 21 to July 19, 2025, Maknana gathers over 40 pioneering artists from across the Arab world to explore the evolution of digital and new media art in the region—from early video experiments to contemporary generative systems. Co-curated by artists and cultural visionaries Haytham Nawar and Ala Younis, the exhibition traces decades of innovation, experimentation, and resistance through digital tools.

A Region Reimagined Through Code

The title Maknana, meaning “automation” in Arabic, sets the tone for an exhibition rooted in inquiry: how have Arab artists repurposed, challenged, or reclaimed digital technology as a creative language? What does it mean to create in code when culture, memory, and identity are in constant flux?

The exhibition is structured into four thematic zones—Automation, Autonomy, Ripples, and Glitch—each revealing how Arab artists across generations and geographies have interacted with the digital realm to reflect on autonomy, disruption, and transformation.

The lineup includes renowned Saudi names such as Ahmed Mater, Muhannad Shono, and ARC (Abdullah Rashed), alongside a constellation of regional heavyweights including Emily Jacir, Mona Hatoum, Akram Zaatari, Farah Al Qasimi, and Walid Raad. From experimental film and VR installations to archival interventions and speculative ecologies, Maknana doesn't merely showcase new media—it unearths it.

A Living Archive of Arab Digital Thought

At its heart, Maknana is both retrospective and visionary. It surveys the past to imagine the future, spotlighting rare archival works and newly commissioned pieces in a dialogue that transcends time, geography, and genre. The works speak to memory, surveillance, networked resistance, and post-digital aesthetics—offering a lens on how Arab creatives have shaped their own digital narratives, outside of western canon.

Diriyah Art Futures, located in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Diriyah, is the first institution in the MENA region fully dedicated to New Media and Digital Art. Backed by the Ministry of Culture, the space is more than an exhibition venue—it’s a lab, a classroom, a performance space, and a think tank.

More Than an Exhibition

To deepen engagement, DAF will present a dynamic public program alongside Maknana, featuring talks, performances, screenings, and workshops. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage directly with artists, curators, and thought leaders who are shaping the future of digital creativity in the Arab world.

As the Arab world continues to define its place in the global creative landscape, Maknana stands as a cultural milestone—a rare, deeply layered exploration of digital language, shaped by regional identity and artistic autonomy.