DCMS Minister in Saudi Arabia for ‘cultural collaboration’ talks

Fresh talks over possible collaboration on arts and culture between the UK and Saudi Arabia have taken place a year after a memorandum of understanding on joint projects was signed by former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, Arts Professional can reveal.

Documents published by DCMS detailing ministerial visits during July to September 2023 show Lord Parkinson flew to Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, on 10 September, staying three nights before flying on to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

During his stay in Saudi Arabia, he had an official meeting with the Royal Commission for AlUla which is overseeing a vast cultural project in the country’s northwest region backed by $35bn of state funding over the next six years.

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Parkinson also met the country's Museums Commission, which supports Saudi Arabia to establish, develop and manage museums, as well as the Saudi Cultural Heritage Commission.

A fourth meeting was held with the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, which is developing a $50bn culture and lifestyle destination on the outskirts of Riyadh.

His visit came a matter of months after it emerged that a Saudi branch of the Paris-based Centre Pompidou will open in 2028 or 2029.

Speaking in July, UK curator Iwona Blazwick, former Director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London, and Chair of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s Public Art Expert Panel told The Art Newspaper she hopes to host a show of works at the new destination drawn from the Pompidou’s collection and selected by Saudi artists.

“We are negotiating an agreement that the Pompidou can borrow from our collection and that we can borrow from theirs,” she said.

Details of the meetings come as Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer warned of a reluctance to "recognise wealth as a positive force in society" and defended the controversial £50m commitment from oil giants BP to the British Museum.

Human rights record

Any potential deal between UK institutions and Saudi Arabia would likely attract similar controversy in light of concerns about the country's human rights record.

Amnesty International has said migrant workers there continue to be abused and exploited with thousands arbitrarily detained in inhumane conditions where they have been tortured and ill-treated.

Meanwhile, same-sex sexual activity between men and between women as well as gender expression of trans people are all against the law.

After leaving Saudia Arabia, Parkinson travelled on to the United Arab Emirates, another state that has been criticised for its human rights record.

According to Amnesty International, in 2022 UAE was among a number of Gulf states that instructed Netflix to remove same-sex content from its services.

It also directed schools across the country to ensure teachers “refrain from discussing gender identity, homosexuality or any other behaviour deemed unacceptable to UAE society” in classrooms.

While in the UAE Parkinson had meetings with the Jameel Art Centre, Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, and the Architectural Heritage Society.

He also met with the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which runs under an agreement between the UAE and France, signed in March 2007, that allows it to use the Louvre's name until 2037 in a deal reportedly worth upwards of £270m.

DCMS has been approached for comment.