catalog in English - Martinengo

AlUla:
A Tapestry
of Creativity

Participating Artists:
Moath Alofi
Huda Beydoun
Lance Gerber
Catherine Gfeller
M’hammed Kilito
Prince Michel de Yougoslavie
Matthieu Paley
Robert Polidori

“AlUla: Tapestry of Creativity ” is a contemporary photography exhibition dedicated to showcasing the geological, archaeological, and artistic treasures of AlUla, a mesmerizing desert region in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Hosted at Promenade du Larvotto in Monaco, this exhibition celebrates AlUla’s vibrant culture, rich history, and captivating landscapes through the lenses of both Saudi Arabian and international artists.
Historically a center of ancient Arabian civilizations and a crucial part of the Incense Road trade route, AlUla is now re-emerging as a global arts hub. The exhibition highlights the geological, archaeological, and artistic treasures of AlUla through a variety of artistic expressions and technical approaches.
Photographers capture the vastness of the desert, the texture s of historical and contemporary arc hitecture, and the intricate details of daily life, from the rock formations and lush oases to the spectacular structures. They have engaged with local communities, including farmers, artisans, and scientists, showcasing the harmony between cultural heritage, tradition, and modernity in AlUla.
Featured artists Moath Alofi, Huda Beydoun, Catherine Gfeller, M’hammed Kilito, Prince Michel De Yugoslavie, Lance Gerber, Matthieu Paley, and Robert Polidori have each engaged deeply with AlUla, participating in residency programmes, independent explorations, and commissioned projects. Their works offer unique perspectives on AlUla’s diverse heritage, capturing its geological marvels, archaeological wonders, and artistic innovations. The exhibition invites viewers to experience AlUla’s multifaceted beauty and cultural richness through a tapestry of creative expressions.
Selected photographs in this exhibition feature Desert X AlUla, a biennial event that brings international attention to the region’s cultural and natural landscapes. This recurring and temporary, site – responsive, international open-air art exhibition taking place in AlUla, part of the AlUla Arts Festival, invites international and Saudi artists to explore the desert’s unseen aspects, fostering cultural dialogue through art.

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km2, includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned. The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of more than 100 well preserved tombs with elaborate facades cut out of the sand-stone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after conquering the Nabataeans in 106 CE. In addition to Hegra, AlUla is home to fascinating historical and archaeolo-gical sites such as: Ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms, which is considered one of the most developed 1st-millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula; thousands of ancient rock art sites and inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah; Old Town, a labyrinth of more than 900 mud-brick homes developed from at least the 12th century, and Hijaz Railway and Hegra Fort, key sites in the story and conquests of Lawrence of Arabia. AlJadidah Village, next to AlUla Old Town, is now emerging as a vibrant arts hub, with public art, an art and design centre, artist residencies and plans for a new contemporary art museum.

The Exhibition

Moath
Alofi

Moath Alofi is a multi-talented artist, researcher, and explorer. He is also the founder of the artistic studio Al-Mthba and the co-founder of Erth Team, a production group specializing in safari trips, aerial photography, and travel documentation. His focus revolves around capturing cultural artifacts, heritage, and hidden treasures within Madinah. Over time, his exploration has expanded to encompass the greater Madinah Region, capturing its barren landscapes and urbanized beauty. Alofi expresses a keen interest in further expanding his artistic explorations to encompass the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Huda
Beydoun

Huda Beydoun’s career as a visual artist began in 2010, where she initially focused on painting and working with mixed media and photography. Now based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Beydoun has cemented her place as an artist, creative director, and fashion photographer. She has also cultivated a distinctive and influential presence in the local art scene.

Lance
Gerber

Lance Gerber (b. 1975) is a contemporary photographer renowned for his expertise in fine art documentation, interior design, architecture, fine art, and still-life photography. Lance’s photographic aesthetic is shaped by intricate compositions, meticulous styling, and a nuanced interplay of light and shadow that infuse his images with feeling and depth. Based in Southern California, Lance finds inspiration in the desert landscapes, where he explores the powerful transformative effects of the natural world and its ongoing role in his personal and artistic discovery.

Catherine
Gfeller

Catherine Gfeller is a Franco-Swiss artist renowned for her photography work. In 1995, she had the opportunity to research and work in New York City where she became fascinated with the urban environment and transformed city scenes into what she calls ‘Urban Friezes’. The artist`s fascination with AlUla was born from a visit to the region in March 2023. Catherine Gfeller`s work highlights the movement of the new convergence towards AlUla and invites dialogue with the spirit of the place.

M'hammed
Kilito

M`hammed Kilito, born in 1981 in Lviv, is a renowned documentary photographer and National Geographic Explorer currently residing in Casablanca. Kilito`s exceptional talent and dedication have earned him several accolades and grants. His captivating photographs have also been showcased in renowned international festivals and venues including the Leica Ernst Leitz Museum in Germany, Tate Modern in the UK and Cortona on the Move AlUla in 2022.

Prince Michel de Yougoslavie

Michel de Yougoslavie started photography at 16 years old. He could have devoted his life to it but his passion was diverted to study and pursue a professional career. He returned to photography in his fifties after a life of travel. The Prince is a walker who carries his own equipment. He walks towards the subject he wants to photograph. The time and effort of the approach on foot contributes to the contemplation and the photo. It’s his way of working. His works have been supported by curator Gilles Bastianelli at art fairs, festivals and galleries in Paris, Italy, Portugal, Monaco, Switzerland, China, the USA and South Korea.

Matthieu
Paley

Matthieu Paley (born May 18, 1973, in Rouen, France) is a French photographer and regular contributor for National Geographic. He is best known for his work documenting communities in the western region of the greater Himalaya: the Karakoram, the Hindukush, and the Pamir Mountains. He is most interested in documenting communities that are misrepresented and misunderstood with a particular focus on those that are isolated within geopolitically sensitive areas. More recently, he has been working on stories relating to the environment and pollution.

Robert
Polidori

Born in 1951 in Montreal, Robert Polidori is considered one of the world’s leading architectural photographers. Creating meticulously detailed, large-scale color photographs that transcend the limits of pure architectural photography, Polidori’s images record a visual citation of both past and present, an extraordinary invocation of history and modernity within the confines of a single frame. His major solo exhibitions include a mid-career retrospective at MAC Montréal, and his work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; MoMA; LACMA; V&A; and the Bibliothèque Nationale.