Saudi Gazette report

DHAHRAN — King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is participating in the international exhibition titled “the Artificial Intelligence and Intercultural Dialogue,” which was opened on Thursday at Hermitage Museum in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

It is organized jointly by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and the State Hermitage Museum on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in which a host of renowned artists and senior personalities of the financial and political circles take part.

Ithra is exhibiting two artworks of prominent Saudi artists Lulwah Al-Homoud and Daniah Al-Saleh at the two-day event. Their artworks explore the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and art.

Khalid Al-Zamil, acting director general of Ithra, said that the Center is proud of having this outstanding cultural and artistic cooperation with the RDIF and prestigious institutions such as the Hermitage Museum, one of the world’s leading art museums.

“This exhibition provides an ideal opportunity for the Ithra to enhance the presence of Saudi talent on the global platforms and to build cultural bridges between the Kingdom and the world. The two artworks presented in a world-class platform such as the Hermitage Museum reflect the potential of Saudi talent and the infinite bounds to which these talents can reach,” he said.

Lulwah’s work titled “Being and Existence” examines the link between language and emotions by developing an abstract form of language derived from the Arabic alphabet while ‘Sawtam,’ a video installation by Daniah, uses an abstract image generated by the AI algorithm from 28 wind chimes and Arabic sounds, with each video scene corresponding to one of the letters of the Arabic alphabet.

According to Al-Zamil, these two pieces showcased the use of modern technology and traditional Arabic alphabet, which aims to present artistic vision in a different and innovative way. The exhibition explores the creative potential behind artificial intelligence and contemporary art, and includes art pieces and works from around the world.

Saudi Arabia’s presence at the exhibition is part of an ongoing cultural partnership with Russia. “Art can build bridges of understanding and hope, and I am proud to play my small part in that,” said Lulwah, whose work has been collected by international museums, including LACMA and Five Continents Museum, as well as sold at Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

The exhibition brought together 14 eminent artists and art groups from 10countries — the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Turkey, France and South Korea. The majority of the pieces included in the display are the result of processing large bulk of big data with the aid of AI technology.