Abdulmohsen Albinali
“They trust me with their art, I trust them with my home.”
In AlUla, N.E.S.T. occupies a space between home, gallery, salon, and gathering place. Founded by Saudi artist Abdulmohsen Albinali, the New Experimental Salon for Travelers is an independent, artist-led experimental salon and residential gallery shaped through hosting, exchange, and artistic trust.
The project emerged from Albinali’s own experience as an artist. After years spent studying abroad and participating in residencies, he moved to AlUla, where the idea of creating a space for artists began to feel increasingly urgent. What took shape was not planned as a conventional gallery. N.E.S.T. began inside a house, and even before Albinali had fully moved in, it was already being used to host artists. “Before I even lived here, an artist lived here and I hosted,” he says.
Eduardo Cassina setting up “”A Blanket for Dreaming”“, 2024. Photo by Lorenzo Arrigoni. Courtesy of N.E.S.T.
On AlUla as a Place of Passage
For Albinali, N.E.S.T. is inseparable from AlUla. The name itself carries this relationship through the word “travelers,” placing movement and passage at the centre of the project. AlUla’s history as a crossroads informs how he thinks about the space, particularly through older traditions of travelers, pilgrims, and safekeeping.“There was this tradition where the pilgrim would leave their earthly possessions with the locals who trusted them and then they would continue their spiritual journey to Mecca and Medina,” he explains. “So there is this old tradition of keeping things safe for outsiders. And I think this extends really in the philosophy of what I do here. It’s the same thing, but from an artistic lens.”
Stairway to N.E.S.T entrance. Photo by Lorenzo Arrigoni. Courtesy of N.E.S.T.
On Home, Hospitality, and the Salon
N.E.S.T. operates through a deliberate closeness between domestic and public life. Visitors may enter through the house, remove their shoes, cross the living room, and move toward a courtyard performance. Artists may stay in the space, watch films, hold screenings, or gather on the rooftop for talks and dinners.
The space is guided by Arab hospitality, but also by the vulnerability of opening one’s home. “In this idea of hosting someone, you’re trusting them, you’re having them in your home, you’re giving them the keys,” he says. “So there’s a lot of trust. They trust me with their art, I trust them with my home.”
Anatomy of the Unseen group exhibition. Curated by Abdulmohsen Albinali . Artist featured in the photo: Anastasia ski um talx McAllister. Photo by Lorenzo Arrigoni. Courtesy and f N.E.S.T.
On Independence and the Possibility of Saying Yes
Within AlUla’s expanding cultural landscape, N.E.S.T. is shaped by its ability to respond naturally to the people who pass through it. “I kept seeing so much talent pass through AlUla, and I thought, if you’re already coming here, why not stay? Why not show something?”
Dinner reception for Anatomy of the Unseen in Collaboration hosted by Allmanac studios, Chef Maha Aziz. Photo by Lornzo Arrigoni.
Words copyright of Naso Art Journal.
Images courtesy of N.E.S.T.
The full feature is exclusively in Issue 4 of Naso Art Journal.
