Arduna
Overview
Our Land
Arduna, which translates to ´our land´ in Arabic, is presented as part of the pre-opening program of the upcoming contemporary art museum from The Royal Commission for AlUla. Co-curated in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou and the support of French Agency for AlUla development (AFALULA), brings together major masterpieces by international and regional artists from both institutions’ collections. This book showcased more than 80 artworks from various discipline, gathered in the exhibition held in AlUla from February to April 2026.
Drawing inspiration from the site of AlUla, uses the allegory of the garden to reveal how modern and contemporary artists explore our evolving relationship to nature and the land. Organised into six chapters, the exhibition delves into nature’s multiple manifestations, both real and imagined, on a journey through gardens, forests, deserts and their constellatory reflections in the cosmos. Through showcasing compelling and thought-provoking artworks, the exhibition will tackle challenges the world encounters today, examining notions of the threat of climate change, migratory displacement, the spread of urbanization, and the Anthropocene, defined as the age of humanity’s profound impact on the planet.
About the Authors
Anna Hiddleston
Anna Hiddleston is Curator of International Projects at the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris. With over twenty years of experience curating exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, she has contributed to major contemporary art projects such as Danser sa vie and Air de Paris. Since 2013, she has collaborated on several significant modern art exhibitions, including Matisse in His Time and Francis Bacon/Bruce Nauman: Face to Face. She co-curated the 2019 exhibition Francis Bacon: Books and Paintings and the 2021 Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective at the Centre Pompidou. Recently appointed head of the curatorial program for the Centre Pompidou’s future museum in Jersey City, Hiddleston is also curating a series of exhibitions internationally in locations such as Brussels, Turkey and Japan.
Noémie Fillon
Noémie Fillon is Associate Curator in the Department of Modern Art at the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Trained in art history and museum studies, notably at the École du Louvre, she has contributed to a range of national and international exhibitions in modern and contemporary art. Her recent projects include Reinventing Landscape at the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum in Shanghai, along with forthcoming exhibitions at the Lucien Arkas Art Center in Izmir. She has also taken part in shaping the curatorial program for the Centre Pompidou’s future museum in Jersey City.
Candida Pestana
Candida Pestana is the Head of the Contemporary Art Museum in Alula, working for the Royal Commission of Alula to manage the project and develop the strategy for the museum's implementation and contemporary art collection. Prior to this, she spent over 9 years as the Chief Curator of Contemporary Art at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), developing the institution from its inception and establishing its contemporary and modern art collections. She also played a key role in fostering partnerships and opportunities for artists in the Middle East, including the prestigious Ithra Art Prize. With more than 20 years of experience in museum development and cultural diplomacy, Candida holds an MA in Curatorial Studies from Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland and a BA in Fine Arts Painting from the University of Porto in Portugal and the University of Barcelona in Spain. Candida Pestana is an experienced professional who has worked in various contemporary art institutions across the globe, including Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, South Africa, and the United States. She has also worked for the United Nations Office in Geneva, where she was responsible for organizing and coordinating more than 60 cultural and educational projects and exhibitions each year. Her research has been published in several art catalogs and publications, including Oncurating.org and ICOM Museum International. She is a regular participant and speaker at renowned international conferences and symposiums and is a member of CIMAM.
Ftoon AlThaedi
Ftoon AlThaedi is an assistant curator and cultural programmer whose practice centers on contemporary art, artistic programming, and community engagement. She currently serves as Assistant Curator at the Contemporary Art Museum under the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). Her professional experience spans several key cultural institutions, including the Visual Arts Commission (Ministry of Culture), Riyadh Art, and the Noor Riyadh Festival. In her current role, Ftoon is committed to shaping community-integrated contemporary art exhibitions and experiences for the future Contemporary Art Museum in AlUla, ensuring that artistic practices remain deeply connected to local narratives and audiences.
Technical Details
- Publication Date:
- Saturday, January 31, 2026
- Language:
- English & Arabic
- Format:
- Softcover
- Dimensions:
- 17.6 x 25 cm
- Weight:
- 1 kg
- ISBN:
- 978-614-8065-09-5
- Number of Pages:
- 248
- Publisher:
- Kaph Books