Through their work, the artists have tackled questions of human progress, migration, ancient history, and importantly, climate change.

After getting an enormous response the first time, the much-talked-about art event of Saudi Arabia — Desert X AlUla 2022 is back for the second edition and this time too, the art exhibition commences with a bang which will be on till March 30, 2022.

The second edition of the international art exhibition features 15 artists that are exploring mirages and oasis under the theme ‘Sarab’. The site-specific art exhibition this year has set its eye upon the majestic canyons of AlUla valley where the artists have been displaying their skills.

Curated by Reema Fadda, Raneem Farsi, and Founding Desert X artistic director Neville Wakefield, their works range from a golden waterfall to parasitic plants, all describing artistic connotations.

Taking place in collaboration with the Royal Commission for AlUla and Desert X, the event this year has artists from the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Ghana which cements around the idea of literature, nature, history and culture intrinsic to the desert surroundings in which they were placed.

Through their work, the artists have tackled questions of human progress, migration, ancient history, and importantly, climate change.

For instance, Shezad Dawood’s work ‘Coral Alchemy’ explores ideas of deep time and the geo-biological relationship between the desert floor and the nearby red sea through a pair of coral-like forms. It reflects the result of climate change and mankind’s struggle to find sustainable solutions.

Another work, for example, is Canadian artist Stephanie Deumer’s ‘Under the Same Sun,’ which is an underground greenhouse that functions at the intersection of nature and technology.

In an open space like that of a desert, the demonstration adds to the experience of viewing the art and the state of being in nature and feeling the magnitude of the desert landscape whilst feeling the sandy wind and air.