The Saudi Ministry of Culture has announced the country's first-ever participation at the 24th Triennale Milano International Exhibition, featuring a pavilion dedicated to Al Ahsa, home to one of the region's oldest agricultural oases. Titled "Maghras: A Farm for Experimentation," the exhibition is curated by Lulu Almana and Sara Al Omran, with Alejandro Stein serving as Creative Director. It will open on May 13 and run through November 9, 2025. The pavilion will showcase newly commissioned works by artists and architects, including Mohammad AlFaraj, exploring the evolving relationship between culture, agriculture, and ecology in Al Ahsa's dynamic landscape. The exhibition stems from research and artistic interventions at Maghras, a farm and interdisciplinary community space in Al Ahsa. In the months leading up to the presentation in Milan, artists, architects, and researchers engaged with local farming communities, integrating their perspectives into performances, film screenings, and workshops that highlight the deep ties between agriculture and cultural heritage. The Saudi pavilion will immerse visitors in Al Ahsa's living history, showcasing videos, sound installations, and research-driven participatory programs that question preservation, adaptation, and reimagination. As Saudi Arabia undergoes urbanization and technological shifts, rural regions like Al Ahsa face challenges such as environmental pressures, monocrop farming, urban sprawl, desertification, and demographic shifts. The exhibition encourages collective reflection on these transformations and their impact on local communities. Through a dialogue between art, research, and local memory, the pavilion examines the depletion of Al Ahsa's natural springs and aquifers, the impact of industrialization, and the shift from diverse agriculture to a date palm-dominated monoculture. The Abdulmonem Alrashed Humanitarian Foundation has played a crucial role in supporting the initiative, hosting Maghras at its farm for eight months, contributing to the Saudi pavilion's mission of fostering discussions on sustainability and heritage. — SG
