Manal AlDowayan is a keen, sensitive witness to cultural metamorphosis as a Saudi artist whose practice revolves around themes of invisibility, collective memory, and the status and representation of women. In 2024, AlDowayan represented Saudi Arabia at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia.

Located across the undulating dunes of Wadi AlFann, Manal AlDowayan’s labyrinthine installation Oasis of Stories is inspired by the mud walls of AlUla’s Old Town. Through it, she invites viewers to explore a vast architectonic sculpture that replicates the ancient spaces of Arabic settlements. The 2000 walls of AlDowayan’s maze-like passages are inscribed with drawings and folklore contributed by the communities of AlUla.