Golden Heroes: Paralympic Athletes as Living Golden Sculptures — From Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles 2028
In Saudi Arabia, art is entering an extraordinary new chapter. Across the Kingdom, historic architecture, contemporary museums, public sculpture and international exhibitions are creating new conversations about identity, beauty and human expression.
In Diriyah, the mudbrick architecture of At-Turaif preserves centuries of Najdi heritage. In Jeddah, historic coral-stone buildings stand alongside a growing contemporary art scene. In AlUla, monumental sandstone landscapes inspire artists from around the world. And in Dhahran, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra, connects Saudi creativity with international artistic exchange.
Yet behind this remarkable cultural transformation lies a timeless question: what makes a human being truly beautiful?
What if a Paralympic athlete could be admired not only for sporting achievement, but also as the subject of an extraordinary work of fine art?
What if a real human figure could possess the monumental presence of a classical sculpture while retaining every aspect of its individuality?
This is the vision behind Golden Heroes: The Ultimate Line Breakers, an international fine-art photography project conceived by French-American photographer and multimedia artist Zack Zublena.
Developed in anticipation of the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, Golden Heroes envisions 22 Paralympic athletes photographed as living golden sculptures.
Each portrait will feature a real athlete, reflective gold-coloured body paint, an individually developed pose and precisely controlled photographic lighting.
The photographic production is planned for Los Angeles ahead of the Games. Golden Heroes is an independent artistic initiative, not an official LA28 programme. No Saudi athlete, museum, cultural organisation or exhibition venue is being announced as a confirmed participant or partner.
Saudi Arabia's artistic heritage and Paralympic achievements offer a particularly meaningful perspective on the project's purpose.
My intention is not to give these athletes greatness. It is to reveal the greatness they already possess.
Why Photograph Paralympic Athletes as Golden Works of Fine Art?
Since 2016, I have developed a distinctive approach to fine-art photography based on real human performers, reflective gold-coloured body paint and carefully controlled light.
My subjects have included dancers, performing artists and individuals whose movement and physical expression become central to the photographic composition.
Everything begins with a real person standing in front of my camera.
Once the reflective paint has been applied, I work with the subject to create a pose that expresses a particular feeling or visual idea.
Lighting then transforms the appearance of the human figure.
A shoulder becomes a luminous curve. A hand communicates an emotion. A carefully balanced posture can evoke the quiet power of classical sculpture.
The subjects are not covered in actual gold, and the photographic prints contain no physical gold.
The sculptural effect is created through paint, composition, artistic direction and light.
With Golden Heroes, I want to bring this established photographic language into a new series devoted to Paralympic athletes.
The objective is not to conceal physical differences or impose one ideal of the human body.
Every portrait will be designed around the individual's presence, movement and personality.
I want viewers to encounter the beauty of the artwork before making assumptions about the person being photographed.
Diriyah and At-Turaif: Saudi Heritage, Architectural Form and the Beauty of Craftsmanship
Just outside Riyadh, historic Diriyah offers one of the most powerful expressions of Saudi Arabia's architectural heritage.
The At-Turaif district, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010, is celebrated for its traditional Najdi mudbrick architecture and its historical significance.
Its walls, courtyards, towers and carefully proportioned spaces reveal a sophisticated understanding of material, geometry and light.
Earth is transformed into architecture through craftsmanship.
What begins as a relatively simple material becomes monumental through design, proportion and human skill.
This relationship between material and artistic intention resonates with my photographic work.
In my studio, the gold-coloured paint is not precious in itself.
Its artistic purpose is to reflect light and reveal the sculptural qualities of a real human figure.
The value of the resulting image comes from the composition, the individual and the emotional presence of the photograph.
In Golden Heroes, gold is not a symbol of wealth or social status. It is a visual language that directs attention towards human individuality.
Diriyah is included as a Saudi cultural reference, not as a confirmed Golden Heroes exhibition location or partner.
Riyadh's Contemporary Art Scene: JAX District, Galleries and New Artistic Perspectives
Riyadh has become an important centre for contemporary art in Saudi Arabia.
Within the capital's evolving cultural landscape, JAX District in Diriyah has emerged as a destination for artistic production, exhibitions and creative exchange.
The inaugural Art Week Riyadh in 2025 brought together galleries, artists, cultural institutions and collections across several venues, including JAX District.
According to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, the event included works from the Ithra collection and celebrated a broad range of contemporary artistic practices.
This growing cultural environment reflects the ability of art to connect local identity with international perspectives.
Photography is particularly suited to this dialogue.
It can preserve the reality of a person while transforming how that person is perceived.
With Golden Heroes, I want to create images that combine the presence of classical sculpture with the immediacy of contemporary photography.
The athlete remains a real individual.
The artistic treatment invites the viewer to encounter that person in an unexpected way.
Art can change not only what we see, but how we choose to see.
Ithra in Dhahran: Contemporary Art, Human Potential and the Power of Creative Expression
In Dhahran, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, widely known as Ithra, is one of Saudi Arabia's leading cultural destinations.
Its museum, exhibitions, performance spaces and educational programmes bring together heritage, contemporary creativity and international cultural exchange.
The Ithra Museum includes galleries dedicated to contemporary Middle Eastern art, Saudi culture, Islamic art and the natural history of the Arabian Peninsula.
Through exhibitions and artistic initiatives, Ithra demonstrates how traditional cultural references can inspire new forms of expression.
Its programming has also explored photography, craftsmanship, perception and the relationship between people and their environment.
These themes are closely connected to my artistic interests.
In Golden Heroes, the human figure is not treated as a conventional photographic subject.
It becomes the centre of a carefully constructed artistic composition.
Every pose, reflection and shadow contributes to the emotional character of the image.
Light becomes the invisible sculptor.
Ithra is referenced as a major Saudi cultural institution. No collaboration, sponsorship or exhibition involving Golden Heroes is being claimed.
Saudi Art in 2026: The Beginnings of a Movement and Its Contemporary Legacy
Saudi Arabia's current cultural landscape has deep artistic foundations.
In 2026, Ithra presented Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement, an exhibition examining the development of Saudi artistic practices from the 1960s to the 1980s.
The exhibition highlighted artists who developed distinctive visual languages while responding to cultural heritage, changing environments and international influences.
This historical perspective is important.
Contemporary art does not emerge in isolation. It grows through experimentation, dialogue and the willingness of artists to reconsider familiar forms.
My own artistic journey began with a fascination for the human body and the possibilities of reflective gold-coloured paint.
Over time, that exploration developed into a photographic language based on real performers, sculptural composition and controlled lighting.
Golden Heroes represents a new direction within that practice.
The visual language remains recognisable, but the subjects and the artistic questions are expanding.
Can an image encourage us to reconsider the way we define beauty, individuality and human presence?
AlUla: Monumental Landscapes, Sculpture and the Relationship Between Art and Nature
In northwestern Saudi Arabia, AlUla has become an important meeting point for archaeology, heritage, contemporary art and international cultural exchange.
The Royal Commission for AlUla works to preserve the region's cultural and natural heritage while supporting artistic and educational development.
AlUla's dramatic sandstone formations create an extraordinary visual relationship between scale, texture and light.
Throughout the day, the appearance of the rock changes as sunlight moves across the landscape.
Forms that seem almost abstract from one perspective reveal intricate surfaces when viewed more closely.
For a photographer working with reflective materials, this interaction between surface and light is particularly fascinating.
A golden figure can appear monumental under one lighting arrangement and unexpectedly delicate under another.
Light reveals details that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
With Golden Heroes, I want to create portraits that possess a similarly powerful sense of presence.
Not because the athlete is made to appear larger than life through artificial spectacle, but because the composition allows the viewer to recognise something extraordinary in a real person.
The most compelling artwork often invites us to discover what was already there.
AlUla is discussed as an artistic and cultural reference. No Golden Heroes installation or partnership in the region is being announced.
Historic Jeddah: Architecture, Artistic Detail and the Beauty of Individuality
On Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, Historic Jeddah, also known as Al-Balad, preserves a distinctive architectural heritage.
Traditional buildings feature coral-stone construction, wooden balconies and intricately crafted rawasheen screens.
These architectural details create a relationship between privacy, airflow, shadow and visual rhythm.
They also demonstrate how repeated design principles can produce remarkable individuality.
Two buildings may share similar architectural traditions while possessing entirely different visual identities.
This idea connects to one of the essential principles of Golden Heroes.
The reflective gold-coloured paint will provide a shared visual language across the proposed series.
But each athlete's pose, expression and physical presence will be unique.
I do not want to create 22 identical interpretations of a human figure.
I want to create 22 individual photographic artworks.
Each person will bring something that cannot be reproduced by another.
Saudi Goldsmithing and Traditional Crafts: When Value Comes from the Human Hand
Across Saudi Arabia, jewellery, metalwork, textiles and traditional decorative arts reflect generations of craftsmanship.
Gold has long been associated with jewellery and special occasions, while silver and other materials have played important roles in regional adornment and craft traditions.
Yet a finely made object is not admired solely for the market value of its material.
Its beauty also comes from proportion, detail, design and the knowledge of the person who created it.
In 2025, Ithra's programmes devoted to traditional crafts brought renewed attention to the relationship between heritage and contemporary artistic production.
Its Year of Handicrafts programme explored how inherited skills continue to influence present-day creativity.
My work belongs to a different medium, but it shares a respect for skilled artistic decisions.
The reflective paint is not the artwork by itself.
The image emerges through the human subject, the pose, the composition and the lighting.
The true value of a Golden Heroes portrait is not the gold-coloured surface. It is the person revealed through the photograph.
The Venus de Milo: Why Human Beauty Should Never Be Defined by One Physical Ideal
One of the most important inspirations behind Golden Heroes is the Venus de Milo.
Displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, this ancient Greek sculpture has lost both arms.
Yet it remains one of the world's most admired representations of the human figure.
When I look at it, I do not focus exclusively on what is missing.
I notice the delicate shape of an ear, the profile of the nose, the curve of the cheek and the serenity of the posture.
Its beauty remains extraordinary.
That observation led me to a question that has stayed with me for years.
Why can we admire a sculpture that does not conform to conventional anatomical completeness while sometimes judging living people against narrow physical ideals?
I am not comparing a person with a disability to a damaged sculpture.
Such a comparison would misunderstand the dignity, identity and lived experience of the individual.
The question concerns our own perception.
If we can recognise extraordinary beauty in art beyond conventional anatomical expectations, perhaps we can broaden the ways we recognise beauty in real human beings.
Golden Heroes aims to invite that reflection through photography.
Michelangelo and Rodin: When Artistic Presence Transcends Conventional Anatomy
In Florence, Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners appear to emerge from their blocks of marble.
Their partially realised forms communicate extraordinary tension and energy.
Centuries later, Auguste Rodin created The Walking Man, a sculpture without a head or arms that nevertheless conveys a remarkable sense of movement.
These works demonstrate that the expressive power of a human figure does not depend exclusively on reproducing an idealised anatomy.
Gesture, balance, movement and presence can be equally important.
Golden Heroes approaches this artistic question through photography rather than marble or bronze.
The athletes will be real individuals, photographed in person, with their own identities, movements and expressions.
The reflective golden surface and controlled lighting will create a sculptural visual effect while preserving each athlete's individuality.
These sculptures will not be carved from stone. They will be alive.
Saudi Arabia at Paris 2024: Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi's Paralympic Gold Medal
Saudi Arabia's Paralympic achievements offer a particularly meaningful connection to the Golden Heroes vision.
At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Saudi wheelchair racer Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi won the gold medal in the men's 100 metres T53 event.
He recorded a personal-best time of 14.48 seconds, securing one of the Kingdom's most significant Paralympic achievements.
The result was confirmed by the Saudi Press Agency and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Al-Qurashi had previously won bronze in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
His journey demonstrates the technical precision, physical preparation and competitive excellence required to succeed at the highest level of wheelchair racing.
But Golden Heroes raises another question.
What happens when an athlete of this calibre is encountered outside the competition arena?
Imagine a monumental golden portrait in which the viewer initially sees neither a medal nor a classification.
Instead, the first impression comes from the light, the composition and the individual's presence.
Only afterwards does the athlete's sporting history become part of the experience.
That is the artistic encounter I want to create: admiration first, followed by a deeper understanding of the person.
Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi is mentioned here for his documented sporting achievements. His participation in Golden Heroes is not being announced.
Nine Saudi Athletes, Five Sports: A Broader Paralympic Story at Paris 2024
Saudi Arabia's presence at Paris 2024 extended beyond one medal-winning performance.
According to Saudi Gazette, the Kingdom sent a nine-member delegation to compete across five sports: Para athletics, Para powerlifting, Para taekwondo, Para table tennis and Para equestrian dressage.
This range of disciplines demonstrates the diversity of physical skills and technical demands involved in Paralympic competition.
In wheelchair racing, performance requires speed, coordination and highly developed racing technique.
In Para powerlifting, the athlete's strength and precision are central.
Para table tennis involves reaction, control and tactical intelligence.
Para taekwondo and Para equestrian events present their own distinct competitive demands.
For me, this diversity is essential.
I do not want Golden Heroes to present a single visual formula for what an athlete should look like.
I want each portrait to emerge from the person being photographed.
Some compositions may express movement and energy. Others may communicate balance, stillness or concentration.
There are many ways to embody greatness, and every athlete deserves to be seen as an individual.
Beyond the Medal: Why Athletic Excellence Deserves an Artistic Perspective
Sporting achievements are usually communicated through rankings, medals, statistics and competition results.
These measurements are essential to sport, but they do not capture every dimension of the individual.
A photograph can offer another perspective.
It can reveal a moment of composure, a gesture or a physical presence that is not visible during competition.
Golden Heroes is not intended to replace sports photography or athletic storytelling.
It is an additional artistic language.
Each athlete will be treated as a collaborator in the creation of an individual work.
The goal is to produce images that can be appreciated by people who may know nothing about the athlete's classification, discipline or achievements.
That first encounter can lead to curiosity.
Curiosity can lead to learning about the person and their sporting journey.
Fine art can open a conversation that begins with beauty and develops into understanding.
From Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles 2028: A New International Meeting Point for Art and Sport
The Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games will bring together elite athletes from around the world.
For Saudi Arabia, the Games will provide another opportunity to follow the development of its Paralympic athletes after Paris 2024.
For Golden Heroes, Los Angeles is the planned location for a new photographic production.
The project envisions photographing 22 Paralympic athletes before the Games.
The wider artistic vision includes exploring opportunities for public exhibitions, visual campaigns across Los Angeles and potential international presentations afterwards.
These ambitions remain subject to funding, agreements, production planning and venue arrangements.
The new Golden Heroes series has not yet been photographed, and no exhibition in Saudi Arabia has been confirmed.
The project is independent and is not part of the official LA28 Paralympic programme.
My intention is to create images that speak not only to sports enthusiasts, but also to people who have never attended a Paralympic competition.
To invite admiration before assumptions.
Golden Heroes: 22 Athletes, 22 Individual Works of Fine-Art Photography
Golden Heroes is being developed with singer Emmanuel Kelly, Paralympic swimmer Ahmed Kelly and Tyler Kolodny.
Emmanuel Kelly contributes to the project's international visibility. His musical journey includes a widely recognised appearance on The X Factor and a continuing career as a performer.
The proposed series will feature 22 Paralympic athletes from different sporting disciplines.
Each portrait will be conceived as an individual work of fine-art photography.
Rather than asking every athlete to adopt the same pose, I intend to develop compositions around the person's physical expression, movement and character.
Gold will provide the shared visual language, but individuality will remain the true subject.
The photographs will feature real people photographed in person.
Gold does not give these athletes their greatness. It reveals it.
From Riyadh and Jeddah to AlUla, Dhahran, Dammam, Abha and Taif
Saudi Arabia's cultural landscape extends across cities and regions with distinctive artistic identities.
In Riyadh, contemporary galleries, cultural programmes and the JAX creative district contribute to the capital's evolving artistic environment.
In Diriyah, At-Turaif preserves the architectural heritage of the First Saudi State and the traditions of Najdi craftsmanship.
In Jeddah, Historic Jeddah, contemporary galleries and the city's public art heritage offer a distinctive relationship between the Red Sea and artistic expression.
In AlUla, archaeology, monumental landscapes and contemporary art programmes create a powerful setting for cultural exchange.
In Dhahran, Ithra provides a platform for Saudi and international creative practices.
In Dammam and Al Khobar, the Eastern Province's urban and cultural development contributes to the Kingdom's creative diversity.
In Abha and the wider Asir region, distinctive architectural traditions and the colourful geometric patterns associated with Al-Qatt Al-Asiri reflect an important regional artistic identity.
In Taif, mountain landscapes, historic buildings and regional craft traditions offer another perspective on Saudi heritage.
In Al Ahsa, palm groves, traditional settlements and historic cultural landscapes add further depth to the Kingdom's artistic geography.
These locations are mentioned as part of Saudi Arabia's cultural landscape, not as confirmed Golden Heroes exhibition venues.
The project's longer-term vision includes exploring an international exhibition tour after the photographic series has been produced.
Any future presentation in Saudi Arabia would require separate discussions with cultural institutions and partners.
Golden Fine-Art Photography for Saudi Collectors, Art Advisers and Luxury Interiors
Saudi Arabia's growing art ecosystem brings together collectors, curators, architects, interior designers and professionals working across residential, hospitality and cultural spaces.
From contemporary residences in Riyadh's Al Malqa and Hittin districts to waterfront homes in Jeddah, and from private interiors in Al Khobar to architectural projects in the wider Kingdom, large-scale fine-art photography can create a striking focal point.
Golden figurative photography can interact with natural stone, marble, carved wood, textured walls and carefully designed architectural lighting.
However, a meaningful artwork should offer more than decorative appeal.
It should possess artistic substance, emotional presence and a visual identity that continues to engage the viewer.
My existing fine-art photography collections are offered in limited editions of 15.
Collectors in Saudi Arabia can explore these completed works independently of the planned Golden Heroes series.
For private collectors, art advisers, architects and interior designers, my objective is to create photography that combines visual impact with human presence.
Discover Zack Zublena's fine-art photography collections for Saudi Arabia.
Arab News, Saudi Gazette, Al Riyadh and Saudi Arabia's Leading Media
Golden Heroes brings together subjects that may interest Saudi Arabia's arts, culture and sports journalists: contemporary fine-art photography, classical sculpture, Paralympic excellence, the representation of the human body and international artistic collaboration.
Among the established media organisations serving Saudi readers are Arab News, Saudi Gazette, Al Riyadh, Okaz, Al Watan, Al Eqtisadiah, Saudi Press Agency and Saudi Gazette's English-language reporting.
These publications are included as relevant references within Saudi Arabia's media landscape. Their inclusion does not imply that they have covered, sponsored or endorsed Golden Heroes.
I welcome conversations with Saudi journalists, gallery directors, curators, private collectors, cultural foundations, art advisers and potential corporate partners.
For an arts editor, Golden Heroes offers a story about how contemporary photography can reconsider classical ideals of human beauty.
For a sports journalist, it presents a perspective on Paralympic athletes beyond the competition arena.
For galleries and cultural institutions, it opens a dialogue between photography, sculpture and individual identity.
For collectors, it offers an opportunity to follow the development of a new international photographic series.
And for companies and foundations, it may provide a starting point for exploring artistic support or sponsorship.
No Saudi media partnership, sponsorship agreement or exhibition is being claimed.
Are you a Saudi-based journalist, collector, curator, art adviser or potential project partner?
I invite you to contact me to learn more about Golden Heroes and explore opportunities for collaboration.
From Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles: Human Greatness Revealed Through Light
Saudi Arabia's artistic and sporting landscape offers a compelling perspective on the vision behind Golden Heroes.
At Diriyah, traditional architecture demonstrates how craftsmanship can transform simple materials into monumental forms.
At Ithra, contemporary art creates conversations between heritage, innovation and human creativity.
In AlUla, the natural landscape reveals the extraordinary power of form and light.
In Riyadh and Jeddah, contemporary artistic communities continue to expand the ways audiences encounter visual culture.
And through the achievements of Abdulrahman Al-Qurashi and other Saudi Paralympic athletes, the Kingdom participates in a sporting world defined by discipline, technical excellence and individual achievement.
These worlds are different, but they meet in one essential question.
How do we choose to see another human being?
With Golden Heroes, I want the viewer to encounter an extraordinary golden figure.
To pause, observe and experience genuine admiration.
Then to discover the real person behind the photograph.
Not beauty defined by uniformity, but beauty revealed through individuality.
Not a person reduced to a physical difference, but a human being recognised in full.
Not simply inclusion, but genuine admiration.
Because gold does not create the greatness of these athletes.
It reveals it.
Golden Heroes. Living masterpieces. Human greatness revealed through light.
Zack Zublena
French-American Fine-Art Photographer and Multimedia Artist
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