By Skye Sherwin
As Art Basel’s first MENA representative and active member of multiple major arts initiatives in the Arab world, there are few better versed in the region’s art scene than Alia Al-Senussi. Here she presents her guide to the events you shouldn’t miss this year.
Desert X, AlUla Arts Festival, AlUla, Saudi Arabia, to Feb 28
Desert X, AlUla’s public sculpture exhibition, is curated by Wejdan Reda and Zoé Whitley this year. New temporary works by younger names like Saudi Yemeni Sara Abdu and Saudi Mohammad Alfaraj as well as established greats like the Sudanese painter Ibrahim El-Salahi, are shown alongside the remnants of previous editions scattered around the valleys, offset by the majesty of ancient rock formations and inscriptions and tombs from early civilizations. For so long, there was a misconception in the West that these are brand new countries and artists and this helps correct that notion. For me, 2026 is about everyone coming together and celebrating all the hard work that we have done to bring the region’s art scene to this point, and also that, finally, others are able to come and understand that all this exists and has existed for a very long time.
