Red Sea Museum - Permanent Exhibition: Al-Balad, Jeddah

Manal AlDowayan’s artwork We Are Coral is currently on view as part of the permanent collection at the Red Sea Museum in Jeddah.

Dedicated to celebrating the stories, histories, and cultural significance of the Red Sea, the museum explores the region’s rich legacy of maritime navigation, trade, pilgrimage, geology, and cultural exchange. As a crossroads of civilizations, it reflects on the diverse identities shaped by centuries of movement and connection across its waters.

Within this context, AlDowayan’s permanent glass installation draws inspiration from the corals of the Red Sea, reflecting their fading colors and fragile beauty. As light passes through the work like memory, it reveals what is gradually disappearing beneath the waves. Serving as both tribute and warning, We Are Coral reflects on environmental loss while calling for the protection of one of the sea’s most vital ecosystems.

Image credit: Red Sea Museum - Ministry of Culture

Artwork shown: We Are Coral