ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has toured the Manar Abu Dhabi public light art exhibition, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to celebrate the diversity of landscapes in the emirate through light sculptures, projections, and immersive artworks by local and international artists.

His Highness visited several sites and viewed artworks from the exhibition, praising the contributions of participating artists to Abu Dhabi’s cultural scene through artistic and creative initiatives.

His Highness also highlighted the role of the exhibition and other events in strengthening Abu Dhabi’s thriving creative sector and further enhancing the emirate’s position as a leading centre for art, heritage and culture.

His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave directives to provide a range of new opportunities and additional public spaces to enable Emirati artists to take part in the Public Art Abu Dhabi initiative, as well as support their talents and enable them to develop their creative works.

His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi also gave directives to develop a comprehensive study to expand visitor services during upcoming Public Art Abu Dhabi exhibitions.  

His Highness emphasised the importance of supporting the artistic and creative community in the UAE by enhancing cooperation, building partnerships and engaging  with artists to ensure an expansive range of artworks to be displayed in the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, to feature new commissions across Abu Dhabi.

His Highness was accompanied by His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi; and curators of the exhibition.

Manar Abu Dhabi is a public light art exhibition featuring 35 site-specific light sculptures, projections and immersive artworks by local and international artists, exhibited in locations across Abu Dhabi, including Lulu Island, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, Jubail Island, and Al Samaliyah and Fahid islands, as well as the Corniche and Eastern Mangroves. Of the 22 local and international artists commissioned, 10 are Emirati.

The exhibition, which began in November and will conclude on 31 January 2024, has already welcomed more than 600,000 visitors. 

As part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s Public Art Abu Dhabi initiative, Manar Abu Dhabi reflects the emirate’s commitment to commissioning public art as way of reflecting the emirate’s intrinsic cultural identity and fostering creativity, while enhancing spaces of historical, aesthetic, architectural, social, and scientific value.