Ithra’s Year of Handicrafts in 2025 turned artisanship into live archive

2025 was a year that the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative by Saudi Aramco, honoured crafts as vessels of memory and a reflection of identity, by offering a wide-ranging programme of initiatives dedicated to elevating craftsmanship. Across the year, Ithra presented more than 25 programmes and events, with the participation of over 100 artists, offering new perspectives on handicrafts as evolving cultural practices, shaped by lived experience and in dialogue with contemporary artistic production. Ithra's creativity strengthened the presence of craft in today’s cultural landscape.

As part of the programme, Ithra presented seven art exhibitions, four of which were launched last year, with the participation of more than 100 Saudi and international artists. Eternal Crafts: The Art of the Manuscript offered audiences an immersive introduction to Islamic illumination, featuring eight master artisans specialising in paper making, calligraphy and gilding. It was accompanied by hands-on workshops, bridging knowledge and practice. Eternal Crafts positioned weaving as a living tradition — one that evolves over time, while preserving its communal essence.

In a related context, Crafts in Conversation: A Convergence Between Traditional and Contemporary Art launched in 2024 and concluded in mid-2025, served as a platform for exploring intersections between artisanal practices and contemporary artistic experimentation.

Artwork from Horizon in Their Hands exhibition.

The exhibition brought together works by 10 contemporary artists who reinterpreted traditional crafts through creative practice, alongside selected pieces of historical Islamic art from Ithra’s collection. Complementing such explorations, Continuation of a Craft: Saudi Traditional Costumes shed light on Saudi Arabia’s heritage of traditional attire and jewellery, revealing the workmanship behind their design and production. Through materials, techniques and ornamentation, it highlighted the cultural diversity that characterises the Kingdom’s regions.

Horizon in Their Hands: Women Artists from the Arab World (1960s-1980s) offered a visual and narrative experience that re-examined the relationship between craft and art, foregrounding women’s voices and the boundaries of artistic practice. Fifty Arab women artists shared their stories through works that drew on the past and re-imagined it through the lens of modern art. Drawing from selected pieces from Sharjah based Barjeel Art Foundation and Ithra’s collection, the show connected Arab creativity to the modernist movements that began to take shape more than half a century ago.

A pivotal moment came in the form of In Praise of the Artisan, an exhibition featuring newly commissioned contemporary works, created by highly skilled artisans. It traced the evolution of Islamic crafts, highlighting their historical centres and positioning craft as a bridge that connects time, place and knowledge. Alongside, Baseqat: The Palm Tree Exhibition, explored the creative potential of the palm tree, from palm-leaf weaving and paper making to textile techniques, linking craft to the local environment, revealing nature’s richness and capacity for transformation.

Baseqat exhibition explored palm tree creativity.

Ithra also launched the Khoos Residency under the Khoos initiative, one of the creative programmes introduced in 2025. The residency brought together artisans, designers and artists with the participation of ten Saudi and international artists, to explore new visions for palm heritage, grounded in traditional roots, merging heritage and innovation. Ten artists from Saudi Arabia and across the Arab world and beyond took part in the residency. The approach also translated into a visual outcome through the documentary Sa’fa, which offered a contemplative visual and narrative exploration of palm weaving. It framed the craft as a practice that transcends the tangible, opening a window onto hidden worlds of memory and identity.

On the international stage, Ithra continued to expand its global presence through its partnership with Turquoise Mountain in launching Patterns of Faith, an exhibition offering a contemporary perspective on craftsmanship in Islamic art. Featuring a curated selection of artisanal works, it reflected the diversity of artistic and architectural elements in Islamic art, with each piece being a testament to mastery, precision and innovation, inspired by inherited Islamic traditions. From London to Dubai, Ithra further strengthened its presence through participation in the ICOM Pavilion in Dubai, where it showcased three key projects: the Khoos initiative, In Praise of the Artisan and the Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet Exhibition. Through the projects, Ithra aimed to connect material heritage with contemporary creative practice, integrating research and cultural storytelling into museum experiences.

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) stands tall.

In Barcelona, Ithra participated in Mondiacult 2025, hosting a session that explored intangible cultural heritage from the perspectives of artists and artisans, broadening the global dialogue around handicrafts and cultural legacy. Artisanal heritage remained a central focus of several initiatives. Among them was the Ithra Summer Camp, held under the theme Little Hands, Big Ideas. Designed for children, the programme offered an interactive educational experience that nurtured curiosity and introduced young audiences to the richness of local heritage in an accessible and inspiring way.

In addition, a series of in-depth panel discussions were held as part of the programme, the Authenticity of Crafts: A Journey through Saudi Heritage. The sessions brought together artisans, researchers and authors who have documented the history of handicrafts. The programme concluded with guided tours of exhibitions, allowing participants gain deeper insight into their cultural contexts. The Pockets of Light programme also played a notable role in the schedule. Through a series of sessions, the programme explored the stories of crafts and their evolution across eras, examining their contribution to enhancing quality of life, while underscoring the importance of safeguarding traditional crafts and professions as an authentic cultural legacy passed down across generations.