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Coverage in preparation

JAX District, Riyadh

Riyadh · Diriyah

Diriyah’s reclaimed warehouse district, home to SAMOCA and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale.

StoriesComing soonIn the calendarDiriyah Contemporary Art Biennale · JanDatesStaged every two years. The 2026 edition ran 30 January to 2 May.
Coverage in preparation

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1975 Industrial Estate, Reclaimed · Diriyah, Riyadh

JAX District, Riyadh

A former 1970s warehouse estate on the edge of Diriyah, occupied first by artists and now formalised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture into the kingdom’s flagship contemporary art and design district — home to SAMOCA and the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale. We’re building our on-the-ground coverage now.

The Year in the District
Coverage tracked across all twelve months of the district’s calendar
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
SEPTEMBER
WinterSeasonal exhibitions and gallery openings across the district.
Spring – SummerOngoing studio visits and gallery programming.
AutumnThe district’s flagship design-week season.
Year-roundDetails of JAX District’s year-round programming are being added.

This page is new. There’s no reporting from JAX District here yet — the directory below is accurate as of research, but the first pieces of coverage are still being prepared. Check back soon, or sign up below to be told when they land.

The District

JAX District, at a glance

LocationDiriyah, northwest Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
OriginsBuilt 1975 as an industrial estate; reclaimed by artists from the mid-2000s
Heritage StatusDesignated an Industrial Heritage Site by Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission, May 2025
Signature EventDiriyah Contemporary Art Biennale — 3rd edition, 30 Jan to 2 May 2026

From the District

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The District

Gallery & brand spotlights

Refreshed each quarter — six names from JAX District worth seeking out right now.

A rotating shortlist of the galleries, showrooms and studios we think are worth the detour this season. Hover a name for why it made the list.

Museum SAMoCA
Museum SAMoCA Saudi Arabia’s first museum dedicated to contemporary art, anchoring JAX District with exhibitions including Art of the Kingdom and Adaptability Ceramics.
Contemporary Art Athr Gallery
Contemporary Art Athr Gallery Founded in Jeddah in 2009 by Hamza Serafi and Mohammed Hafiz, now with a JAX outpost in Warehouse H20 supporting emerging and established Saudi and Arab artists.
Contemporary Art Hafez Gallery
Contemporary Art Hafez Gallery Qaswara Hafez opened his Jeddah gallery in 2014 after a career in publishing and retail, and now occupies Warehouse H19 with a programme of Saudi and international shows.
Creative Hub Lift
Creative Hub Lift A 6,500 sq ft exhibition, co-working and concept shop space founded by Princess Nouf bint Abdulaziz Al Saud and designed by Saudi firm Quartz, with a daily café and a resident roster spanning art, design, film and fashion.
Design Fair Downtown Design Riyadh
Design Fair Downtown Design Riyadh The Kingdom’s design fair returned for its second edition this September, spreading more than fifty exhibitors, including Poltrona Frau and Esther Knopfler’s international debut, through JAX’s warehouses.
Food & Drink Dahma
Food & Drink Dahma A café built inside a working carpentry space, its wooden walls engraved with Arabic calligraphy and vintage tools displayed like art, drawing painters and sculptors in on weekends.
The district at a glance

The district, mapped

JAX District as it actually sits on the ground — 129 buildings inside the district boundary, in Al Diriyah Al Jadidah, with Prince Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Road along its north-west edge, about four kilometres west of At-Turaif. 43 galleries, studios, cafes and venues are marked where they actually sit.

PRINCE ABDULLAH BIN ABDELRAHMAN SHAIKH OMAR IBN HASSAN IBN KHOZEIMAH AL DHGHAITHIR AL ZAEER AL SHALHOOB JAX DISTRICT AL DIRIYAH AL JADIDAH DIRIYAH BIENNALE FOUNDATION JAX PARK
Not yet placed

Listed as a JAX resident but not locatable from available sources yet: Ayman Zedani Studio.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL

Building the directory

What’s in the district

A first pass at the venues inside JAX District. This will grow into a full searchable directory once on-the-ground reporting begins.

Museums & Galleries

SAMOCASaudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art, opened February 2023 — the central hub of the district.
Athr GalleryEstablished Jeddah gallery with a space in JAX.
Hafez GalleryEstablished Saudi gallery with a space in JAX.
LiftNewly opened hybrid creative platform, 2024/2025.

Artist Studios

Muhannad Shono StudioStudio of a leading contemporary Saudi artist.
Ahmed Mater StudioStudio of a leading contemporary Saudi artist.
Ayman Zedani StudioContemporary Saudi artist.
METRA StudioContemporary art and design space working across sculpture and design.

Culture & Dining

The WarehouseStudio and live-event venue.
Beast HouseMembers’ music club.
Dahma Cafe & Bohemia Cafe & RecordsTwo of several cafés documented within the district.

Worth knowing: the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale is hosted at JAX, but citywide events like Noor Riyadh and Riyadh Art use many venues across the city and are not JAX-exclusive — we’ll be precise about that distinction as coverage develops.

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