Client: KAFD
Industry: Hospitality, Heritage Luxury Hotel
Year: 2025
Location: KAFD, Riyadh, KSA

Services: Art Consultancy and Art Supply

Featured Artists: Abeer Khalifa, Alma Deville, Caroyl Labarge, Loretta Bilinskaite, Rica Belna, Shaker Kashgari, Sarah Ibrahim

Total no. of Artworks Delivered: 491
Total no. of Artists Engaged: 562

Rising from the sculptural skyline of King Abdullah Financial District, Kimpton Riyadh marks a new chapter of contemporary luxury in Saudi Arabia. As IHG’s first Kimpton property in the Middle East, the hotel introduces a design-led vision aligned with a district defined by bold architecture and forward-looking ambition. Rooted in Riyadh’s identity as an oasis, a place shaped by geology, growth, and cultural memory the curatorial approach reflects the city’s evolving character through material honesty and contemporary expression, translating the region’s natural formations and heritage into composed, modern gestures.

The journey begins in the Lobby Lounge with the Desert Rose Sculpture, designed by Capsule Arts Studio. Inspired by crystallised formations found across Saudi Arabia, the piece rises like a mineral bloom-layered, organic, and commanding. Opposite, a large-scale abstraction by Rica Belna introduces lift and softness. Drawn from a macro view of falcon feathers, a subtle nod to a symbol deeply rooted in Saudi heritage, the work forms a diffused field of translucency and gentle gradation that counterbalances the sculpture’s weight, together defining the artistic identity of the hotel as a dialogue between mass and air, density and lightness.

In the Lobby Living Room Café, the expression becomes more intimate through a circular artwork by Saudi artist Abeer Al Khalifah. Composed from individually cut blocks of palm trunks sourced from Al Qassim, the piece embraces the organic textures and natural irregularities of the material. This connection continues in a mixed-media work inspired by archaeological surfaces, where stacked, stratified forms reveal delicate shifts in texture and tone. Further along, paintings by Alma Deville introduce fluidity, her translucent layers in mineral greens and diffused neutrals adding a sense of renewal and flow inspired by oases and desert flora.

At the entrance to the Botanical Restaurant, the Coral Sculpture by Capsule Arts Studio becomes a sculptural threshold, offering a lighter counterpoint to the crystalline Desert Rose. In the American Restaurant, the atmosphere balances warmth and structure through a leaf-inspired abstraction by Rica Belna above the bar and a monochrome sculptural composition by Sarah Ibrahim, whose hand-formed elements create sweeping curves with tactile intensity and contemporary clarity.

The meeting-room spaces introduce a quieter, contemplative layer within the ground floor. Abstract photographic works by Caroyl La Barge explore mineral surfaces and earthy textures, while contemporary calligraphy by Saudi artist Shaker Kashgari reinterprets classical forms with modern confidence. In the Gym, the curatorial approach shifts toward momentum through abstract graphic panels that echo movement, repetition, and flow.

As guests move through the corridors, micro fractal artworks draw from Saudi nature terrain, easing the transition into the hotel’s private spaces. In the suites and guestrooms, softly layered artworks bring calm and balance, reflecting Riyadh’s landscape in a more personal way. The Penthouse shifts the experience into a sculptural finale through a cascading chain installation by Capsule Arts Studio, sweeping through the double-height space in fluid brass-toned layers.

This final sequence brings the intent of the curation into clear focus. From the geological weight of the lobby to the sculptural presence of the Penthouse, the guest journey unfolds as a continuous interpretation of Riyadh’s landscape — a cohesive experience shaped by palm, mineral, calligraphy, flora, and light.