Futuristic ‘Unfolding the Embassy’ Exhibition Debuts at Fenaa AlAwwal

In ‘Unfolding the Embassy’, Fenaa Alawwal presents an exploration of humanity's present condition through the lens of a speculative future. Set in 2040 aboard a Space-X satellite orbiting a meta-earth, the exhibition imagines a world where environmental collapse has erased state borders and cyborgs regulate human activity.

Drawing inspiration from the tumultuous year of 2020, this fictional scenario reflects on the global fractures exacerbated by the pandemic, offering a unique vantage point to examine our current reality. By projecting into a future rife with deep fakes, AI debates, and existential uncertainties, Alawwal's work evokes a complex mix of frustration with the past and anxious anticipation for what lies ahead.

The exhibition brings together a diverse array of media, including installations, videos, photographs, and print works, to address critical themes such as the global economy, the Anthropocene, and the impact of AI. The exhibition uses the symbolic structure of an embassy to navigate these topics, inviting visitors to speculate on the fictional narratives that underpin societal systems. By deconstructing geographic borders, language symbols, and national emblems, the artworks challenge audiences to rethink what they consider true and factual.

The exhibition is located in Fenaa AlAwwal, at the Diplomatic Quarters in Riyadh and is open from Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 10 PM, with an entrance fee of SAR 20. The exhibition runs until September 1st as part of Riyadh Season.