Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the first center for New Media Arts in the Middle East and North Africa, launched its latest exhibition CONTINUUM ’26 on Thursday, showcasing the works of its second cohort of emerging artists and the program’s mentors. Visitors explored a diverse range of cutting-edge technological media, including immersive and multimedia installations, light, sound, moving image, virtual reality, mixed reality, and AI-generated projects, the Saudi Press Agency reported. CONTINUUM ’26 features artworks produced by 16 emerging artists and two mentors during DAF’s year-long Emerging New Media Artists Program. Curated by Irini Papadimitriou and Bushra Alghamdi, Assistant Curator, the exhibition explores questions surrounding memory, identity, place, belonging, repetition, and interspecies relationships. Developed under the mentorship of artists Louis-Philippe Demers and Rick Treweek, the artworks explore the boundaries between the real and the artificial, human and artificial intelligence, the organic and synthetic. Speaking at the exhibition launch, CEO of the Museums Commission Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Hammad said: “Programs like the Emerging New Media Artists Program represent the long-term, deliberate investment needed to shape the future of the Kingdom's museum sector. “By providing our artists with world-class facilities, mentorship, and the dedicated time to refine their craft, we are fueling innovation and sparking vital cultural conversations. CONTINUUM 26 brings a full year of that dedication into the public eye.” The opening program kicked off with a panel conversation between exhibition artists Noel Apitta, Njood Albwardi, Badriya Alsalem, and Harpreet Sareen, in conversation with Bushra Alghamdi about the ideas behind their works in CONTINUUM '26. The artists discussed the exhibition's themes – the power of artificial intelligence; memory and time; and embodied perception – exploring how each artist navigated their creative process and what questions drove them. CONTINUUM ’26 is the second installment in a series of exhibitions at DAF, spotlighting diverse voices shaping the future of New Media Art in the region and beyond. Developed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains in France, the Emerging New Media Artists Program gives emerging artists access to cutting-edge professional equipment and a production budget, as well as a wide range of multidisciplinary learning opportunities. CONTINUUM ’26 is open to the public at Diriyah Art Futures and runs until November 7. The exhibition is accompanied by a public program of workshops, talks and other activities spanning AI, VR, digital photography, and much more. Meet the Artists: an invitation to encounter the works of CONTINUUM '26 through the perspectives of the artists who made them. Over the opening weekend, artists will discuss the ideas and processes behind their works with visitors.
