ATHR Foundation Brings The Ship of Tolerance to Jeddah in 2026, marking a landmark cultural collaboration
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | December 2025 – ATHR Foundation in partnership the Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation is proud to announce the arrival of The Ship of Tolerance in Jeddah, the 20th edition of the globally renowned project and the first to embark in Saudi Arabia. Conceived by artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, the project fosters understanding among children through art and music and has been presented in major cities worldwide including Venice, Sharjah, London, and New York. Its debut in Jeddah carries forward the project’s global mission under the guiding theme “Rooted in Our Values. Connected to the World.”
Endorsed by the Office of the Governor of Jeddah, supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Jeddah Historic District, and organized locally by ATHR Foundation in partnership with Stellar Education this landmark initiative embodies the city’s commitment to cultural exchange, community engagement and youth empowerment. The alignment with Saudi Arabia’s 2025 “Year of The Handicrafts” further reinforces its role in preserving and celebrating the Kingdom’s heritage.
In Jeddah, The Ship of Tolerance gains a unique local identity shaped by the city’s maritime history and multicultural fabric. A series of collaborative painting workshops designed by ATHR Foundation will bring together students from across the city to create artworks symbolizing acceptance, unity and cultural understanding. More than 700 students from 8 partner schools will take part in the workshops through Stellar Education, underscoring the project’s scale and educational impact. Participating schools include Dar Al Fikr, Nahda Academy, Manarat & Green Hills, Andalus, Sherborne, International Philippine School in Jeddah, AISJ – American International School of Jeddah and Nun Academy. These artworks will become the sails of the ship, transforming the vessel into a collective expression of Jeddah’s young generation and its values.
Local artisans will collaborate with the Kabakov shipbuilding team to construct a 14-meter vessel standing 20 meters high. The ship will be unveiled in Al-Balad, Jeddah’s UNESCO-recognized historic district, during Ramadan 2026. Its placement in the heart of Al-Balad strengthens the project’s dialogue with heritage, creating a powerful connection between local identity and global artistic exchange.
A musical performance created with school music departments will accompany the opening ceremony, presented by children in celebration of the project’s completion. Schools will also participate in guided visits to the installation, offering students an opportunity to explore themes of art, culture and community within one of the Kingdom’s most significant heritage sites.
As one of Saudi Arabia’s pioneering cultural institutions, ATHR Foundation brings extensive expertise to this milestone project.
Since 2022, established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2022, registered in the National Center for Non-Profit Sector and under the direction of the Saudi Ministry of Culture. ATHR Foundation builds on ATHR Gallery's legacy and aims to address and respond to the evolving needs of visual art practitioners, both emerging and mature. Through its varied and inclusive programs, the Foundation provides a unique platform that sparks deeper public discourse pertaining to the arts, all whilst guiding and supporting visual artists in navigating industry complexities and developing sustainable and scalable practices. Its deep local insight and international networks ensure a seamless realization of The Ship of Tolerance and reaffirm its mission to create meaningful cultural experiences that resonate locally and globally.
The project is realized with the involvement and support of key partners and stakeholders, notably Lexus Abdul Lateef Jameel, Shada Hotels, DARA, Design Magazine, Wrth, The Saudi Sailing Federation, Destination Magazine, DRB and relevant ministries, whose collaboration contributes to the successful delivery of this initiative.
With its message of unity, creativity and shared humanity, The Ship of Tolerance will stand as a powerful symbol for Jeddah: a city rooted in its values and connected to the world.
For media inquiries:
Rajwa Basyouni pr@athrart.com Website:
https://athrart.com/ IG @athrart For
international media inquiries:
Lizzie Mcnamara emcnamara@fitzandco.com
M: +1 917-432-4765
About ATHR Foundation
An Independent, Non-Profit, Arts & Culture Foundation.
Established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2022, registered in the National Center for Non-Profit Sector and under the direction of the Saudi Ministry of Culture. Founded in 2022, ATHR Foundation builds on ATHR Gallery's legacy and aims to address and respond to the evolving needs of visual art practitioners, both emerging and mature.
Through its varied and inclusive programs, the Foundation provides a unique platform that sparks deeper public discourse pertaining to the arts, all whilst guiding and supporting visual artists in navigating industry complexities and developing sustainable and scalable practices.
About Stellar
Stellar is Saudi Arabia's homegrown education solutions company rooted in the Kingdom and driven by global standards of excellence. We empower schools, educators, and learners through world-class assessments, professional development, school improvement and recruitment services. With a deep understanding of Saudi Arabia’s education landscape and alignment with Vision 2030, Stellar bridges local ambition with international expertise. Our commitment to Education Beyond Limits reflects our belief in nurturing potential, fostering innovation and advancing education that shapes globally competitive citizens with strong local values.
As a homegrown company aligned with Vision 2030, Stellar champions creativity, global competence and cross-cultural collaboration, making its participation in the Ship of Tolerance a natural extension of its mission to inspire the next generation. Through this initiative, Stellar is leading the school engagement for the Ship of Tolerance cultural project and working closely with nine partner schools, engaging more than 700 students in a meaningful cross-cultural artistic experience.
About The Artists
Ilya and Emilia Kabakov have long been amongst the most celebrated artists of their generation, widely known as pioneers of installation art. Ilya Kabakov was born in 1933 in Dnepropetrovsk (now Dnipro) in Ukraine, formerly part of the Soviet Union. When he was eight, he moved to Moscow with his mother. He studied at the Art School of Moscow, and at the V.I. Surikov Art Institute. Following his graduation, Ilya supported himself as a children’s book illustrator from 1955 to 1987, while continuing to make his own paintings and drawings. As an ‘unofficial artist,’ he worked in the privacy of his Moscow attic studio, showing his art only to a close circle of artists and intellectuals and becoming the leader of the Moscow Conceptualist movement.
Ilya was not permitted to travel outside the Soviet Union until 1987, when he was offered a fellowship at the Grazer Kunstverein, Austria. The following year, he visited New York and resumed contact with Emilia Lekach. Born in 1945, Emilia trained as a classical pianist at Music College in Irkutsk and studied Spanish Language and Literature at Moscow University before leaving the USSR in 1973. Ilya and Emilia began their artistic partnership in the late 1980s and were married in 1992. Together, they have produced a prolific output of total installations and other conceptual works addressing ideas of utopia, dreams, and fear, all reflective of the universal human condition. Their work is in the collections of the world’s leading museums, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London; MoMA, New York; MAXXI Museum, Rome; State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg; Abu Dhabi Royal Collection, UAE; and many more. ArtNews Magazine listed the Kabakovs amongst the ten most important living artists in the world.
Sadly, Ilya passed away in May of 2023. Emilia continues to realize their projects into the future.