D+D U.K.

2644 30th Street, Suite 100
Santa Monica
CA, 90405

D+D U.S.

6697 Prince Turki Ibn Abdulaziz Al Alawal
Hitten
Riyadh 13516
Saudi Arabia

D+D Saudi Arabia

P1‑106, Yas Creative Hub, Tower 3
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates, PO Box 769784

D+D UAE

World Expo

In collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, DDX produced a dynamic programme of exhibitions and residencies at the Saudi Pavilion for World Expo 2025, offering global audiences an immersive experience of Saudi creativity. Among the highlights, the group exhibition Personal Narratives: Intangible Histories invited visitors to engage with the work of three pioneering female Saudi artists, exploring memory, identity and the ways culture shapes personal and collective narratives.

The exhibition featured Sara Abdu, Reem Al Nasser, and Daniah Alsaleh, who presented completed works reflecting on place, tradition and human experience through poetic, abstract and immersive approaches.

In the Cultural Arts Studio, Sara Abdu explored memory and reconciliation through her signature anthropomorphized, melancholic figures, creating installations that referenced both the conscious and unconscious mind. Her practice meditates on self, memory, home, mortality and immortality, inviting viewers to engage with human inner territories through a careful, labor-intensive process.

Reem Al Nasser brought a human presence to the Pavilion with multiscreen video works reflecting on identity and tradition in wedding rituals. Drawing on photography, graffiti, video and sound, her pieces are informed by ethnographic research, personal experience and close observation of cultural mobility and change.

Daniah Alsaleh reimagined Saudi landscapes through abstract, mixed-media works informed by a residency in northern Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the German Archaeological Institute and the Goethe-Institute. She accompanied archaeologists on visits to excavation sites in AlUla and Tayma, focusing on carnelian beads as a recurring object of cultural and historical significance. 

In the studio, Daniah demonstrated the transformation of raw carnelian into pigments, alongside maps and contextual explanations, connecting her contemporary artworks with tangible historical material. She also gave talks, hosted meet-and-greets and shared insights with visitors, creating an educational and interactive experience.

Personal Narratives, Intangible Histories at World Expo, 2025

At World Expo 2025 Osaka, DDX partnered with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture to deliver a bold programme of exhibitions and live experiences at the Saudi Pavilion, inviting visitors into a contemporary expression of Saudi creativity.

A standout was An Adornment of Stars by Nasser Al Salem - an immersive mixed-media collection inspired by the Mu‘allaqat, seven historic Arabic poems. Drawing on his training in calligraphy and architecture, Al Salem presented works that transformed text into a mesmerising video installation, exploring faith, time, and the power of language while revealing beauty in forms often overlooked.

Al Salem also led live calligraphy demonstrations using traditional Saudi tools, inscribing the phrase “Be beautiful and the world too will be beautiful,” and offering audiences a rare, tactile encounter with classical Arabic scripts.

Extending the dialogue, calligrapher and visual designer Bayan Barboud fused Arabic calligraphy with Japanese cups, turning everyday objects into intimate artworks. The gesture sparked genuine cultural exchange, with visitors warmly engaging and leaving with calligraphed pieces as personal mementos.

Nasser Al Salem at World Expo, 2025

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