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Among eroded rock formations and ancient Nabataean ruins lies an oasis of sorts, one that nourishes the spirit of AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The town is reminiscent of the early days of Marfa or Arles, where creativity still feels untapped and poised for global recognition. It is hard not to feel inspired by the sweeping desert and almost-Martian canyon walls that have witnessed caravans and prophets on the incense trade route. A community gathers at this oasis: Villa Hegra, the latest jewel in the constellation of Viva Villas initiated by the Villa Medici.

Born from a Saudi-French accord in 2021 and formally established as a foundation in 2024, Villa Hegra opened its doors to the public in October 2025. Since then, its studios have welcomed artist residencies while its palm-lined courtyard and the region’s only indoor cinema have hosted a wide array of cultural programming. Recently on the occasion of the AlUla Arts Festival 2026, Villa Hegra hosted Dance Reflections, a celebration of movement and music supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. It also commissioned Vertigo, a tight rope and dance performance set in the canyons surrounding AlUla, choreographed by Rachid Ouramdane, Christophe Chassol and Nathan Paulin with the Compagnie de Chaillot.

Villa Hegra does not seek prestige, instead insisting on something perhaps even more demanding — generosity. Here, artists aren’t invited to simply produce work, they are invited to inhabit and create in dialogue with a community. In doing so, Villa Hegra underscores the power of art when it is shared and experienced collectively. Guided by this ethos, the Saudi-French institution has partnered with MATTER and SHAPE to design the annual Parisian salon’s Reading Room. The space brings together the vision of Saudi artist Badr Ali, Swiss design studio USM and Villa Hegra’s first designer in residence Paul Emilieu Marchesseau.

On the eve of the opening of MATTER and SHAPE, Villa Hegra’s director Fériel Fodil joins co-curators Basmah Felemban and Gael Charbau in a conversation that highlights the conception and philosophy driving Villa Hegra.

Albert Shyong: My first impression of Villa Hegra is its deep and genuine emphasis on community. You’ve said that you don’t want superstar artists, you’re looking for residents that can integrate in the community and engage with locals. How does that vision take shape in practice?

Fériel Fodil: Villa Hegra’s location was intentionally chosen at the heart of AlUla’s local community rather than near the archaeological sites. From the beginning, we didn’t want to create a French quartier, otherwise we’d have only French visitors and be active for two months out of the year. It’s not sustainable without sincerely extending an invitation to the community. In many ways, this is their building. The Saudis are investing in it for Saudis as well, for local growth and the transfer of knowledge.

Basmah Felemban: I think it starts with being very thoughtful about our open calls, especially the requirements we set. If someone isn’t willing to put in a specific type of effort, then engaging with the community can start to feel like an obligation, rather than a meaningful reason to be here in the first place. So far, that approach has worked. Even when we invite artists directly, we do so with that same expectation in mind, that they come with a certain generosity. We’re not looking for people who are chasing a work opportunity in this new market. What we really want are people who are actually excited and open.

Gael Charbau: Of course, we can’t simply ask an artist, ‘Will you engage with the community in this specific way?’ It doesn’t work like that. Instead, we look closely at the project itself, at the artist’s previous work, at the way they write and articulate their approach. All of that becomes an important part of the process. As I mentioned before, we’re not necessarily looking for an international star who comes here to replicate what they do everywhere else. We believe something can emerge from this particular place and territory. For that to happen, the artist has to be open and willing to accept things that might be entirely new.

AS: I’m very curious where this spirit comes from, as most of the other institutions in the French Villa network rely on prestige. Is it from you? Is it the Saudi government?

GC: It comes from us. But I believe the real prestige lies exactly there — in creating something with people and showing others that it’s possible to do so. For me, that’s the best achievement in art, far more than producing the most commercially successful work. That is precisely our mission as curators. It’s DNA of the Villa.

BF: The space almost dictates that you have to give. That’s something I think about a lot: how can we intentionally create an environment where, when you come in, you can’t just take? The only way to be here is if you’re willing to contribute, to show up generously and be, in a sense, a good guest.

FF: We don’t want to become this elitist institution where art feels untouchable or dehumanized. That’s why cinema is so important to us, and the performing arts as well. The artists we invite carry this sensitivity or empathy to be able to create art within an environment that’s bilateral, where there’s real exchange.

One of my first steps to understand how to bring this Villa to life was to spend a week at the Villa Medici in Rome as a resident. I wanted to grasp the mechanics of the challenges, the possibilities and what could realistically be done. The director explained that the institution sits at the bottom of a hill, and the artists are often perceived as being in their own castle, disconnected from the community. He told me, ‘My challenge is to make the Villa accessible to the Romans.’

AS: What are the differences between Villa Hegra and the other villas, and what is its place in the Viva Villa network?

FF: Villa Hegra is a very specific concept. We’re part of a French network of villas around the world, the oldest being the Villa Medici. A villa, in this sense, is a place for artistic expression across all fields, whether that’s performing arts, visual arts, culinary arts, literature or architecture. We’re not devoted to just one discipline; we bring all of them together.

What makes this Villa distinctive is that it is a Saudi-French institution. The question is how to create a genuine dialogue between the two cultures. When you think about exchange across all these artistic fields, and between two countries at once, it becomes a multidimensional dialogue. The goal is to embody what Saudi Arabia represents in France and what France represents in Saudi Arabia. For me, it’s a form of reciprocal soft power, French to Saudi and Saudi to French, with both coming together through collaboration as part of the global art scene.

GC: We’re a bit different in that sense because, as Fériel said, fifty percent of our work is about welcoming artists here, and the other fifty percent is about bringing artists to other places. The idea is that an artist who comes through the Villa should also have the opportunity to go to France, and not only to Paris. For example, we’re developing something in Burgundy, in the French countryside. The intention is for Saudi artists to discover French savoir-faire. We’re also building exchanges with other villas in India, in the United States, in Italy. It’s not just about welcoming, but also exporting and creating dialogue in both directions.

AS: What strikes me is that Saudi Arabia only opened to tourism in 2019, yet there’s already been such a tremendous focus on artistic development, from the Diriyah Biennale to the Saudi pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

BF: We’ve always had everything you see today. Tourism didn’t suddenly open in 2019 and create all of this, it has existed all along. Artists from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s had their movements, formed collectives, learned from their regions, traveled abroad and then brought those experiences back home. So really, it’s about providing more support and tools to diversify. The main difference now is governmental financial support and policies. The opportunities that the government is championing, like the Biennale, create significant milestones for artists beyond local initiatives, which used to be the norm. Now, we’re able to operate more institutionally, and that’s essentially the difference.

AS: Why do you think there is such a proliferation of art in AlUla in particular? What is it about this place that draws events like Desert X, spectacles like the Villa Hegra-presented Vertigo, and even a Pompidou collaboration?

GC: First, there’s the will. The people of Saudi Arabia want to bring culture to AlUla. AlUla is a place of heritage, where you can discover archaeology and beautiful historical sites. It’s a unique place in the country. They began to see that culture isn’t just about the past, but also about a dialogue with the present. So it’s natural to have contemporary music, art and performances interacting with this environment. When you invite artists here, it’s unlike anywhere else. There’s a very special mood, maybe from the desert, the wind, the absolute silence in certain places or the oasis. It’s a beautiful backdrop for creating.

FF: We don’t just want to copy what’s done abroad, but to adapt it and make it local. Take French artist Paul Emilieu Marchesseau, our designer in residence. He worked with local artisans, which was challenging because they needed to understand his artistic vision while he had to adjust his approach to fit their traditional techniques and expertise. The same goes for Gautier Capuçon, the international cellist who performed at the villa’s opening. He visited an institution in AlUla called the Music Hub and was asked to play the local ‘Edith Piaf’ of Saudi music, Mohammed Abdu. At first, he felt uncomfortable because he was used to European repertoire and didn’t know how to approach it, but eventually he managed beautifully.

AS: Saudi Arabia is historically known for adherence to tradition, and AlUla was once a quiet region before all of this transformation. Yet the people here seem to have warmly embraced the arts. How would you describe this process, and what do you think has driven such a shift?

GC: It works because of proximity. Villa Hegra is situated among the people, with our doors wide open. That’s exactly what we want. We’re not trying to impose a specific type of culture; we just want to create the conditions for making art here, in full respect of everyone’s culture. The people are gentle and open, they approach everything with a lot of sincerity and simplicity, so you can’t fake anything. That’s why I believe something different can truly happen here.

BF: It’s a grassroots process. It’s challenging to engage with institutions that work with the government, since most initiatives in Saudi are government-funded. For someone coming from France, whether an artist or producer, there’s a balance to strike. You bring your own culture, but you also meet a very distinct local one that you have to respect in order to thrive.

AS: What is your long-term curatorial vision for Villa Hegra? Right now it’s at an exciting nascent stage, but what type of legacy do you hope it will leave?

GC: I want to show that there is still an approach to art that isn’t driven by the market, something that can exist between cultures. It’s not Saudi art or French art, but something created in the space between, defying a world that is increasingly building walls, even within culture. Through art, we aim to preserve that openness, to challenge walls and cross the boundaries of ideology. This place, with the desert nearby and the mood inside the Villa, helps create that. We try to make it relaxing for the artist, cosy even. When there are no activities and night falls, it’s calm, with cats wandering around. We want it to be a peaceful space where people can come together, build relationships and open their minds.

BF: I see it as a healthy gate. Once you enter the network, access becomes easier, because it’s more intimate than the crowded cultural landscape in France. Anyone who graduates from here has already engaged deeply with the community and done thoughtful research. That’s how I see the future, not as a barrier that keeps people out, but as a filter that welcomes those who come with the right spirit.

FF: The Villa is growing, and what you see now is just the beginning. We are already moving forward with 2026 plans: culinary arts, fashion (key for the Saudi-French dialogue), student exchange programs, design, visual arts, performing arts and cinema. We’ll also launch initiatives in scriptwriting for cinema. My goal is a lively environment, with kids, teenagers, students and artists coming and going, like a beehive. Today, for example, there is a performance on the patio, artists moving through, and kids in the performing arts studio. This is how the Villa should always feel. It’s not just a beautiful building. What matters is what happens inside. When we achieve that, I believe it will be a meaningful legacy.

MATTER and SHAPE’s Reading Room, commissioned in partnership with Villa Hegra and designed by Saudi artist Badr Ali alongside Swiss design studio USM, is open to visitors from March 6th to 9th in Paris.