Art meets culture at Red Sea International Airport’s latest installations
Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, has unveiled two newly commissioned artworks at Red Sea International Airport (RSI) as the first pods of the main terminal open to passengers for the first time.
The airport, situated within three hours flying time of 250 million people and eight hours flying time for 85% of the world’s population, is the main gateway to The Red Sea destination. It has been welcoming weekly flights from Jeddah and Riyadh via the Air Taxi Terminal (ATT) since September 2023. In April 2024, the first international flights began, with a twice-weekly flight from Dubai International.
As part of the phased opening of RSI, passengers can now experience the newly unveiled artwork that enhance their journey through the terminal. These installations, commissioned from world-renowned artists, are thoughtfully integrated into the airport’s design, offering travelers a unique and immersive welcome that reflects the beauty of the Red Sea region. This includes a piece by digital artist Daniel Canogar within the welcome center, as well as a work by Dale Chihuly, located in four of the five terminal pods at RSI.
“Red Sea Global is opening the Saudi Red Sea coast to the world and it is important that we welcome our guests with a selection of artworks that speak to our local culture and the Red Sea’s vibrant ecosystem. Both Daniel Canogar and Dale Chihuly are exceptional artists in their respective fields, and we hope visitors to our destinations and members of our local communities will be inspired by these beautiful and thought-provoking pieces on display for their enjoyment,” said Nick King, Group Chief Development Officer at Red Sea Global.
‘Sadu’ inspired artwork
Called Shuttle, this 6m by 9m and 1,000kg spiraling sculpture by Daniel Canogar hangs in the welcome center at RSI providing a stunning entrance for passengers arriving and departing. Visible on ribbon-like LED screens, colorful patterns play across the surface evoking a loom. Daniel Canogar is a contemporary visual artist based between Madrid and L.A., specializing in new media installations that probe our technologically evolving society.
Faithful to the spirit of The Red Sea destination, which sees nature as its greatest asset, Shuttle is connected to the environment through live data feeds, capturing real-time wind and water patterns. Depending on the data — wind speed or ocean current temperature — the motifs on the screens change dynamically, depicted in the dazzling colors of The Red Sea’s water, sky and earth.
The design is inspired by local Sadu, wool fabrics characterized by contrasting colors in geometric motifs and culturally relevant symbols traditionally created by weavers across Saudi Arabia. Sadu was declared as intangible cultural heritage worthy of protection by Unesco in 2020. For the completion of the piece, the artist worked closely with Dr. Delayel Al-Qahtani, an expert in Sadu weaving to ensure the work was grounded in local and Saudi cultural heritage.
Through Shuttle Canogar offers a contemporary interpretation of this ancient artform. As a digital and generative artwork, the artist’s algorithm translates data into symbolic references of Sadu motifs. The patterns and colors fluctuate with the weather through an infinite number of combinations.
Daniel Canogar, the artist, said: “Mixing tradition with cutting-edge technology, and referencing environmental phenomena of the stunning surrounding landscape, Shuttle welcomes arriving passengers to The Red Sea with the spirit of the region they will soon discover in their adventures ahead.”
Born in Madrid in 1964, Daniel Canogar’s life and career have bridged between Spain and the U.S. He has exhibited extensively in major museums and galleries across the world, including Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; The Prado Museum, Madrid; LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, L.A.; The Whitney Museum, New York; The Phillips Collection, Washington DC; American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY; and Art Vault at the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, Santa Fe, NM. His artworks are part of the collections of renowned museums such as the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), L.A.; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, N.Y.C.
Daniel has also created monumental public artworks in different media, including Dynamo, a site-specific audiovisual project designed for the Spain Pavilion in Expo Dubai 2020; Bifurcation, a multi-laser projection at Noor Riyadh Light & Art Festival in 2021; Pulsation, the first-ever outdoor digital artwork, created specifically for the Serena Williams Building at Nike‘s World Headquarters in Oregon (2023).
Blown-glass seagrass artwork
Dale Chihuly is widely regarded as the greatest glass artist living today, known for his innovative and paradigm-shifting work that often references marine life.
This new work, Red Sea Fiori, is conceived in four parts. Each piece is located at a terminal pod at RSI and offers different, technically complex, techniques and color palettes, representing local corals and seagrasses. The Red Sea destination is home to five of the known 55 seagrass species worldwide and last year RSG conducted its first seagrass rescue program, transplanting seagrass that was damaged or degraded to new locations using various methods to test efficacy. As guests depart RSI, these sculptures serve as a colorful reminder of the vibrant ecosystem of the Red Sea and the importance of our oceans.
Dale Chihuly, the artist, said: “These new works reference the forms and hues of species integral to the health of our ecosystem, such as Red Cluster, the Blue Whip Discosoma, the Slate Pencil Urchin, Red Coral Cups, Halophila Ovalis, and Funnelweed. I hope it delights passengers, while providing a striking reminder for travelers to do their part to preserve our seas’ fragile, vibrant biosphere.”
Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. In 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde development of glass as a fine art. He has created more than a dozen well-known series of works, has shown his work in solo exhibitions at museums around the world and today his work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide.
Chihuly has been the recipient of many awards, including two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and thirteen honorary doctorates. This marks Chihuly’s first installation in Saudi Arabia, a significant milestone for both the artist and the region.
“These artworks are the first cultural touchpoints for visitors to our destination. It is essential they reflect the identity of the Red Sea, a region and a destination with an ancient history of trade and cultural exchange existing alongside modern Saudi heritage and arts. If, as I do, you consider the ecosystem an integral element of culture and cultural development, you find there are so many incredible stories to tell of the people, of the environment and of their histories. Both Daniel and Dale understood this and produced beautiful, significant, artworks that resonate with our nature-first ethos and proud Saudi identity. This is just the beginning,” said Dalya Islam, Director – Arts and Culture at Red Sea Global.
The Red Sea welcomed its first guests in 2023, with five of its hotels now open. RSI has been receiving a regular schedule of flights since September 2023. The main terminal will open in phases over the next few months.
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