The Ethical Dilemma of Artistic Collaboration with Saudi Arabia
In recent years, a concerning trend has emerged of prominent artists engaging with Saudi Arabia's cultural initiatives, despite the nation's ongoing human rights issues. Notably, composer Hans Zimmer has recently been approached to reimagine the Saudi national anthem, a move that has sparked significant debate.
Similarly, artists have performed at events like the Diriyah E-Prix and Aether, which have been criticised as attempts to "art-wash" the kingdom's image.
"Art’s purpose is to show that the powerful are not only powerful but also sensitive, cultured, and good." - Hito Steyerl, "Is the Museum a Battlefield?"
In contrast, some industry professionals have taken a stand against such collaborations. For instance, as the former Global Director of Experience with The Mill, I personally declined to sanction a lucrative opportunity to create a digital twin for the highly speculative 'Neom' project in 2022, citing ethical concerns of both myself and my team. This decision was directly influenced by reports of the displacement of local tribes, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and ongoing civil rights abuses within the kingdom.
While proponents argue that engaging with Saudi Arabia can foster cultural exchange and promote openness, these partnerships risk lending legitimacy to a regime that continues to suppress dissent and violate human rights. Artists and creators must carefully weigh the ethical implications of their involvement, considering whether their participation inadvertently supports a narrative that masks ongoing repression.
A Path Toward a More Ethical Future
The future could be different if the global artistic community embraced a new approach to cultural collaboration, one grounded in transparency, accountability, and empowerment of local voices. Rather than supporting initiatives that serve as PR exercises, artists and organisations could prioritise partnerships that demand tangible commitments to human rights and social reform as a prerequisite for engagement.
Global institutions such as biennales, art fairs, and production houses could implement ethical guidelines that discourage collaboration with entities linked to ongoing abuses. By amplifying the voices of dissidents, displaced communities, and marginalised groups through their work, artists could shift the narrative away from superficial branding and towards genuine progress.
Education and dialogue also play a pivotal role in this transformation. By fostering cross-cultural understanding, artists can highlight shared values while maintaining a critical lens. This approach could cultivate cultural diplomacy that inspires meaningful change, leveraging creativity to not only imagine better futures but to actively build them. If artists and cultural institutions take this stand collectively, they can help ensure that art serves as a force for empowerment and progress, rather than a tool for obfuscation.
Further Reading
Six years on: Still no justice for Jamal Khashoggi
领英推荐
The Dark Side of Neom
'UK ‘turning a blind eye’ to threats to kill Saudi activists living in exile
Saudi Arabia - Not Free
Bibliography on Artwashing
This collection of works explores the intersection of art, politics, and society, revealing the complexities and contradictions of cultural production in the modern world.
Hito Steyerl’s Duty Free Art interrogates art’s complicity in global conflict and surveillance, while Nicholas Mirzoeff’s The Right to Look provides a counterhistory of visuality, challenging dominant power structures through the lens of resistance. Maureen Ryan’s Artwashing critiques the co-opting of art by big oil to sanitize corporate reputations, and Lucy Lippard’s Undermining connects art to land use, politics, and environmental exploitation in the American West. Chin-Tao Wu’s Privatising Culture examines how corporate interventions have reshaped the art world since the 1980s, a theme echoed in Andrea Fraser’s 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics, which unpacks the ties between cultural institutions and political influence. Olav Velthuis’ Talking Prices explores the symbolic economy of the contemporary art market, while T.J. Demos’ Against the Anthropocene critiques the visual culture complicit in environmental degradation. Benita Parry’s Postcolonial Studies provides a materialist critique of colonialism’s legacy, and Sarah Kendzior’s Hiding in Plain Sight connects these themes to contemporary political realities, exposing how power, propaganda, and cultural manipulation erode democracy.
Together, these works illuminate the entanglement of art, power, and society in an era of global transformation.
Pioneering Innovator in Music & Entertainment Experiences for Artists & Fans | Producer, Executive, Writer, Commentator, Speaker, and Podcaster.
4 周what a wonderful and necessary piece, Andrew. I would love to have you write for us on The Tonearm.
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4 周Louvre Abu Dhabi is a striking example of how cultural institutions can serve geopolitical agendas. While it represents a major investment in global heritage, its construction was marred by exploitative labour conditions, with reports of low wages, debt bondage, and extreme heat exposure among migrant workers. The UAE uses the museum as a soft power tool to project an image of openness, even as it faces criticism for human rights abuses, media censorship, and suppression of dissent. France, in exchange for €1 billion, lent the Louvre brand while simultaneously maintaining lucrative arms deals with the UAE, raising ethical concerns about the intersection of culture and realpolitik. Despite its ambitions as a “universal museum,” its curatorial approach has been critiqued for reinforcing a Western-dominated cultural hierarchy, making it a powerful—yet controversial—symbol of 21st-century museum diplomacy.
CEO at Blueplanet VR, Inc.
1 个月Excellent Andrew, couldn’t agree more.
CMO / Board Advisor / Venture Leader / Transformation & Commercial Growth / ???? / AI / Web3 / D2C
1 个月Interesting… it’s certainly a “thing” but art washing is common in most regions. I’ll read ??