Paris and Riyadh have just launched a new creative hub called La Fabrique. It is a space for “lasting cultural exchange through co-creation.” The project was produced through a cross-cultural partnership between Riyadh Art and L’Institut Français, with the aim of fostering long-term artistic dialogue. La Fabrique claims to be founded in shared creative values of France and Saudi Arabia.
French President Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have described this project as a manifestation of their shared vision, which places cultural cooperation at the heart of their strategic partnership. La Fabrique is a key element of realising the Saudi 2030 Vision, which aims to transform Riyadh into an international cultural hub.
The French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Patrick Maisonnave claimed the project to embody “the spirit of a new cultural chapter between France and Saudi Arabia… opening a space where imaginations meet, new forms emerge and creativity becomes a bridge between our two societies. This initiative reflects our belief that artistic dialogue is one of the most powerful ways to build understanding, trust and a shared future. It stands as a concrete example of France’s contribution to the ambitions of Vision 2030.”
French art is renowned for its lack of censorship. Some of the finest works of art have come from France, varying from realism to romanticism to contemporary, the variety of French art is vast, but one underlying common denominator is its liberating flare. French art invokes sexual freedom, political thought, the beauty of the human body, the right of self-expression, which are all fundamentally interdits in the Kingdom. The French artists who choose to create in La Fabrique, will be limited to create under the Saudi vision of art, restricting their artistic expression. By France choosing Saudi Arabia to host this project, the anticipated cultural exchange as a result will be void. The Kingdom outright rejects the fundamental values of French culture: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity).
This creative collaboration fails to produce an equal cultural exchange, as Saudi censorship blocks the expression of French culture, due to its atrocious human rights abuses. This project appears to be a façade for economic gain and national influence, disguised as creative cultural exchange.
La Fabrique takes place on the background of a French national being arbitrarily detained in Saudi Arabia for over a year and a half. Amir Abdel Fattah was arrested, when travelling to Mecca for the Hajj. Abdel Fattah had procured a visa online, prior to travelling to Saudi Arabia, only for him to understand that he had fallen victim to an online scam, when authorities verified its validity. He was therefore detained for not having the necessary valid permit to enter the Kingdom. He was held incommunicado and tortured, after authorities discovered he had publicly criticized the Saudi regime. He was held for eleven months without being charged, until a secret trial took place in May 2025 in the notorious Speicalized Criminal Court, where the public, his family and legal representatives were denied access. The Kingdom refuse to publicly release details of his trial, nor his condition.
France has chosen to ignore Abdel Fattah’s case and severe ill treatment by Saudi officials, and instead launch a “creative cultural exchange project” with the Kingdom. This highlights the disregard France and Saudi Arabia have for the respect of human rights. France must do more to procure the immediately and unconditionally release of Abdel Fattah.
