Grounding Light

Manar Abu Dhabi is an exhibition of new commissions and site-specific light sculptures, projections and immersive artworks by local and international artists, an initiative of Public Art Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi’s Manar exhibition transforms the capital with 35 vibrant sculptures, projections and immersive installations across the archipelago. Co-curated by Reem Fadda and Alia Zaal Lootah, the exhibition, named after the Arabic word for lighthouse, features multi-sensory commissions by regional and international artists.

The artworks will be displayed in several key locations across Abu Dhabi, including Lulu, Saadiyat, Jubail, Al Samaliyah and Fahid Islands, as well as other coastal areas such as the Corniche Road and the Eastern Mangroves. Under the theme Grounding Light, the works – which include contributions from Shezad Dawood, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Samia Halaby, Ala Edris, Carsten Höller and teamLAB – explore self-enlightenment through the use of light in the natural landscape of Abu Dhabi. The exhibition offers a new perspective on the city’s coastline, mangroves, land and sky, from robotic searchlight curtains that respond to cosmic radiation to contemplative pavilions.

Featured photography of Agua by LUCIANA ABAIT. Courtesy of LUCIANA ABAIT and DCT ABU DHABI