Arts and Culture

Alongside its bid to become a regional and global economic powerhouse, the UAE capital is also rising as a new global capital for culture.

On January 8, AGSI hosted a virtual roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they look ahead and assess trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy during the coming year. 

The announced curtailing of The Line megaproject is an inflection point that will continue to influence Saudi Arabia as it keeps building for the future.

On December 18, AGSI hosted a unique event to close the exhibition “Making Space: Gulf Photographers on the Scene.”

Saudi Arabia’s first Cultural Investment Conference sought to convince domestic and global investors that arts and culture in the kingdom are a value proposition and to entice them to share in this project.

On October 30, AGSI hosted a student open house and reception featuring the exhibit “Making Space: Gulf Photographers on the Scene.”

Amid the ongoing devastation in Gaza, Palestinian art has been front and center in Gulf exhibitions and events.

Bahrain’s pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture is emblematic of how Gulf states are leveraging architecture to address – or at least narrate – pressing environmental and social questions.