Saudi Artisans to Showcase Traditional Crafts at Venice Biennial

The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, known as Wrth, will showcase traditional Saudi arts and crafts at the fourth Homo Faber Biennial in Venice throughout September.

Organised by the Michelangelo Foundation, the biennial brings together artisans and creators from around the world, with Wrth participating through exhibitions, panel discussions and its Young Ambassadors Program.

The institute will present three works by Saudi artisans. Ahmed Al Fawzan will represent the Middle East in ‘Twenty Silent Songs’, a central installation featuring 20 artisans from different countries, with his contribution highlighting the craftsmanship of finely decorated Najdi doors.

Ayat Dhahi and Revan Abdulsabour will present ‘Orbit of Bloom’, a collaborative metalwork piece, while Asma Alshamari’s ‘Where Clay Remembers’ uses pottery to explore traditional Saudi craft through a contemporary design approach.

Wrth will also take part in the opening summit on the future of craftsmanship. Abdulaziz Alsunusi, Head of Design and Production at the institute, will join a panel titled ‘Criteria of Artisan Excellence: Shaping a Global Standard’.

The session coincides with the launch of an updated edition of ‘The Master’s Touch: Essential Elements of Artisinal Excellence’, an international study by the Michelangelo Foundation to which the Wrth team contributed.

Saudi students Almaha Alomari and Hala Alayoubi will also participate through the Young Ambassadors Program, a six-week residency in Venice involving 90 participants from around the world.

Established in 2021, Wrth works to preserve and develop traditional Saudi crafts through education, research, heritage preservation and support for local artisans, while also encouraging new approaches to traditional making.