Ministry of Culture to set up Black Gold Museum in Riyadh in 2022

RIYADH — The Ministry of Culture announced on Wednesday plans to set up the first permanent creative museum on oil titled ‘Black Gold Museum’ in Riyadh in July 2022. Renowned artists from all corners of the world will part take in the museum, which will be established in partnership with the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center at its headquarters.

The museum, which is part of the Quality of Life Program, one of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 Realization programs, will be under the umbrella of the “Specialized Museums” initiative announced by the Ministry of Culture in its first package of initiatives, which include art museums specialized in creative fields that will be launched in succession in a number of cities across the Kingdom.

Through its diverse contents, the museum will provide creative narration of the role of oil in human life, from its being a raw material to its contemporary formations, through innovative artworks based on contemporary concepts.

The museum would showcase more than 200 contemporary artworks, and will host annual temporary exhibitions and educational programs for all segments of the society.

The museum’s headquarters would host a variety of artistic spaces that include a fixed space for contemporary arts, visual performances and multimedia, as well as a parallel space for temporary exhibitions, a shop and a cafe, conference rooms and spaces for educational and consultancy programs and events.

The museum will tell the story of the unique relationship that was formed between man and oil, through an innovative artistic journey to review the formations of oil from its crude state to all its amazing branches and dimensions.

This creative journey is divided into four main stations: The encounter; dreams; doubts, and the future. Each museum station will present activities that reinforce the creative concept of the title.

The museum will display artworks that touch emotion and feeling, created by artists from all over the world, telling the story of black gold and reflecting through it all the historical, economic, geopolitical, societal and cultural aspects that oil has contributed to human life.

This will be through creative templates that redefine the concept of museums, with their unfamiliar atmospheres, and their rich worlds with different artistic paths that include painting, fashion, design, drawing, photography, sculpture, films, and models that reveal exceptional skills and talents, giving the visitor a comprehensive knowledge of the topic-oil.

The Ministry of Culture aims with the Black Gold Museum to provide quality museums in the Saudi cultural field, which include creative and inspiring models that contribute to the growth of the cultural movement in the Kingdom. It also aims to promote the concept of “culture as a way of life” by attracting broad segments of society including families, students and tourists and all those interested in visual arts.

The museum will provide them with a space to view the permanent art collections showcased by international artists, as well as temporary exhibitions, educational programs, and the opportunity to visit the famous majestic building, which was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects for the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center.