Saudi Arabia Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wrth) was also a major cultural exhibitor in this year’s Saudi Culture Week in Expo 2025 Osaka and promoted traditional Saudi craft work on the international platform and enhanced the relationship with Japan.
Held between July 12 and 15, 2025 this was also an act of diplomacy as it was also the 70th anniversary of formal ties between Japan and Saudi Arabia. The event was an extension of an already established broader plan by the Kingdom to maintain and share its cultural identity in the world, organized in the context of the Year of Handicrafts 2025.
According to a report made by Arab News, through the event, Saudi artisans got the chance to showcase their crafts to the global community. Visitors seen in the pavilion of the institute could see live demonstrations of artist interaction and collaboration of art students in Saudi and Japan arts with experimental work workshops.
Among some of the highlights of the week, there was a live embroidery session with Saudi artisan Salman Al-Hamad and Japanese designer Yuho Ohkota that was a major highlight of the week. Collectively they created a rare cultural fusion and transformed the traditional Al-Ahsa Bisht embroidery into a Japanese kimono, a symbol made out of respect and admirable one of each other.
Collaborative Art Bridges Cultures
This cross-cultural initiative was not merely symbolic but participatory. Wrth organized a number of workshops, during which the guests could create their own traditional Japanese fans decorated with shapes inspired by Saudi folk art. These patterns were imagined by students who went at Wrth, Atlas, Glogau, and some of the southern states, which explains how young generations are playing an essential role towards maintaining and creating in their heritage.
Combining Saudi designs with daily crafts of the Japanese, the event supported the importance of the compatibility of two cultures with the similarity of artistic values. The workshop also became the arena of communication with cultural sustainability and the pedagogy of art.
A Milestone in Cultural Diplomacy
This year of Saudi Culture Week coincided with the rise in Riyadh cultural diplomacy. Attending the Expo 2025 Osaka is one of the ways through which the Kingdom is interested in building its global cultural presence. With this, On the one hand, Saudi Arabia is making its bid to establish sustainable avenues of cultural exchange with the help of institutions such as Wrth, and, on the other, is indicating a desire to modernize without being negligent about its cultural roots.
Cultural preservation was only one of the significant outcomes of collaboration between Saudi artists and Japanese artists and institutions, as it also served to promote Saudi styles of art to a new audience that might not have come into contact with Middle Eastern traditions so well otherwise.
According to the Arab News, it is the first occasion when Saudi artisans can cooperate with Japanese designers in the international environment directly. The event is projected to be very successful and this is bound to open the doors to future bilateral matters regarding the arts and education.
Cultural Engagement Through Craftsmanship
The Saudi pavilion was very authentic because of the live demonstration and the input provided by students. Tourists had an opportunity to interact with craftsmen firsthand and see how carriers of traditional practices continue to work with the help of technologies some of which are several hundreds of years old. The exhibitions ranged between embroidery and weaving to wood carving and contained a source of information on the development of Saudi art in the contemporary world.
Highlights of the event included:
- Live Bisht Embroidery: Showcased on a Japanese kimono.
- Fan-Making Workshop: Designs by Wrth students using Saudi art.
- Interactive Sessions: Artisan Q&A, design demonstrations, and heritage storytelling.
The Expo 2020, taking place up to October 2025, gives the participating countries a chance of advancing sustainable development, innovation, and culture. This week in Saudi Arabia was neither a week of only art but also the week of relationship based on the common appreciation of history and tradition.
Building a Legacy Beyond the Expo
As Vision 2030 promotes the goal of cultural regeneration within the Kingdom, the goal would be impossible to administer without the likes of an institution such as Wrth. The effect of Saudi Arabia investing in international representation of local craftsmen is the creation of the legacy where instead of being perceived as a museum piece, traditional crafts are regarded as the expression of identity.
By hosting such an event, Saudi Arabia proves that its culture is relevant in the world, urging international masses to observe -not to forget to engage in- the cultural evolution thereof.
