Together, the works explore the region’s rich history of new media art, across four thematic sections

Diriyah Art Futures, the MENA region’s first hub dedicated to new media arts, has launched its second exhibition, Maknana: An Archaeology of New Media Art in the Arab World, which will run until 19 July 2025 at DAF’s space in Diriyah, Riyadh. 

Co-curated by Haytham Nawar and Ala Younis, the exhibition pays homage to the rich history of new media arts in the Arab world through a collection of over 70 artworks by over 40 acclaimed artists from the region. The Arabic term ‘Maknana’, translated as automation, inspires the exhibition’s central inquiry: how Arab artists have navigated, repurposed, and challenged technologies to shape their own creative vocabularies.  

Above: Muhannad Shono. On Losing Meaning, V04. 2024. Maknana Exhibition 2025. Courtesy of Diriyah Art Futures

The works on view bring to light urgent sociopolitical contexts, from networked resistance and machine logic to memory preservation, speculative ecologies, and glitch aesthetics.

These explorations are structured across four thematic sections: Automation, Autonomy, Ripples, and Glitch, which cover recurring artistic concerns and gestures across various generations, geographies, and technological paradigms.

Above: An installation view of the exhibition. Courtesy of Diriyah Art Futures

“This exhibition reflects the region’s rich history of artists who have embraced and experimented with technological mediums to push creative barriers and respond to the questions of their time,” says Mona Khazindar, Advisor to the Ministry of Culture.

“It represents Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to celebrate the Arab world’s pioneering artists, while also opening doors to global creative and technological innovators of the future, through an inspiring range of talent and artworks.”

Above: Maknana exhibition opening

The exhibition will be accompanied by a rich public programme, including masterclasses, practical workshops, talks and performances.

On 26 and 27 April, Joe Namy will host a two-day masterclass exploring the power of sound as a transformative artistic medium. Blending theory and hands-on experience, the workshop will guide participants through listening sessions, collective engagement, and experimentation with sounds.

For more information, click here. Images supplied.

Lead image: Effat Nagy. The High Dam. 1966. Maknana Exhibition 2025. Courtesy of Diriyah Art Futures