Attraction Factors in Contemporary Sculpture in Public Spaces in Riyadh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35560/jcofarts1856Keywords:
Contemporary Sculpture, Public Art, Riyadh ArtAbstract
This study aimed to identify the factors of attraction in contemporary sculpture in public spaces in Riyadh by analyzing a selected group of contemporary sculptural works displayed there. The study was guided by the following main research question: What are the attraction factors in contemporary sculpture in public spaces in Riyadh?
The study employed a descriptive-analytical approach by analyzing a purposive sample of selected artworks from Noor Riyadh, Tuwaiq Sculpture, and the permanent artworks associated with the Riyadh Art initiative. The artworks were analyzed according to a set of conceptual, formal, technical, spatial, and perceptual factors, which were adopted as analytical frameworks and indicators for identifying the attraction factors present in the selected contemporary sculptural works.
The findings revealed that attraction in contemporary sculpture is not achieved through a single element, but rather through the integration of multiple factors, including concept and content, contemporary technologies and media, monumentality and scale, and the relationship between the artwork, its location, and the surrounding space, among other factors that significantly contribute to attracting viewers to sculpture in public spaces.
The study recommends considering factors of attraction when designing sculptural works for public spaces, enhancing the use of contemporary technologies, and encouraging further research on public art and community engagement.
References
Alharbi, M. M. (2009). Aesthetics of the relationship between spatial space and sculptural form for creating sculptures that combine authenticity and contemporaneity [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].College of Home Economics and Art Education, Riyadh.
Alharbi, M. M. (2025). Organizational policies in sculpture symposiums: A case study of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium. Saudi Journal of Art and Design, 5(2). Saudi Society for Art and Design, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye. University of California Press.
Assmann, J. (2011). Cultural Memory and Early Civilization: Writing, Remembrance, and Political Imagination. Cambridge University Press.
Berlyne, D. E. (1971). Aesthetics and Psychobiology. Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Bishop, C. (2012). Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship. Verso.
Cartiere, C., & Willis, S. (Eds.). (2008). The Practice of Public Art. Routledge.
Cheung, M., Smith, N., & Craven, O. (2022). The Impacts of Public Art on Cities, Places and People’s Lives. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 52(1), 37–50.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2021.1942361
Dewey, J. (1934). Art as Experience. Perigee Books.
Dormer, P. (1994). The Art of the Maker: Skill and Its Meaning in Art, Craft and Design. Thames & Hudson.
Gombrich, E. H. (1960). Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation. Princeton University Press.
Grau, O. (2003). Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion. MIT Press.
Hein, H. (2006). Public Art: Thinking Museums Differently. AltaMira Press.
Ibn Manzur, M. ibn M. (1994). Lisan al-Arab (3rd ed., Vol. 1, entry “Jadhaba,” p. 259). Dar Sadir.
Kastner, J., & Wallis, B. (1998). Land and Environmental Art. Phaidon Press.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (2016). Saudi Vision 2030 document. General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. https://www.vision2030.gov.sa
Krauss, R. (1979). Sculpture in the Expanded Field. October, 8, 30–44.
Kwon, M. (2002). One Place After Another: Site-Specific Art and Locational Identity. MIT Press.
Landry, C. (2008). The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators. Earthscan.
Lippard, L. R. (1973). Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object. University of California Press.
Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. MIT Press.
Miles, M. (1997). Art, Space and the City: Public Art and Urban Futures. Routledge.
Milne, C., & Pojani, D. (2023). Public art in cities: what makes it engaging and interactive? Journal of Urban Design, 28(3), 296–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2022.2121272
Osborne, P. (2002). Conceptual Art. Phaidon Press.
Oxford University Press. (2024). Contemporary art and sculpture trends. In The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (5th ed.). Oxford University
Paul, C. (2015). Digital Art (3rd ed.). Thames & Hudson.
Radice, M. (2018). Putting the public in public art: An ethnographic approach to two temporary art installations. City & Society, 30(1), e12155. doi.org
Read, H. (1956). The Art of Sculpture. Princeton University Press.
Read, H. (1965). The Meaning of Art. Penguin Books.
Riyadh Art. (2026). Artworks for everyone. Royal Commission for Riyadh City. https://riyadhart.rcrc.gov.sa/ar/
Royal Commission for Riyadh City. (2024). Riyadh Art program: Public art for everyone. Riyadh Art Program official website. https://riyadhart.rcrc.gov.sa/ar/
Senie, H. (1989). Richard Serra’s “Tilted Arc”: Art and Non-Art Issues. Art Journal, 48(4), 298–302.
Sharp, J., Pollock, V., & Paddison, R. (2005). Just Art for a Just City: Public Art and Social Inclusion in Urban Regeneration. Urban Studies, 42(5–6), 1001–1023.
Siragusa, A., Martinez-Bäckström, N., Andersson, C., Petrella, L., Garau, P., Camargo, W., Camarinhas, C., Chabbi Chemrouk, N., Chong, J., Dobson, R., Fortes, T., Gillet, C., Duque, S., Kent, E., Miao, P., Mwongo, N., Odbert, C., Permezel, M., Sepe, M., & Zamorano, L. (2016). Global Public Space Toolkit: From Global Principles to Local Policies and Practice. UN-Habitat.
Visual Arts Commission. (2026). Comprehensive guide to public art. Ministry of Culture. https://visualarts.moc.gov.sa/Publications/Institutional-Publications.
