Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi has unveiled a new set of large-scale immersive installations, expanding the digital art destination with works that explore perception, nature, and the limits of human awareness.
The latest additions — ‘Massless Suns and Dark Suns’ and ‘Megaliths in the Roots Garden’ — were previewed by Aletihad during an exclusive media showing on Monday.
Now open to the public, these artworks aim to deepen teamLab’s long-running investigation into how humans experience space, light, and the natural world, blending living ecosystems with digital technology.
‘Megaliths in the Roots Garden’ reveals a biological system that is normally hidden beneath the surface: the living root systems of trees.
This new installation extends into a newly opened lower floor, where the roots of surrounding trees hang freely in the air among towering stone-like structures.
In a carefully controlled environment, visitors can come face to face with a part of nature they never encounter.
“Normally, plants communicate with each other through their roots underground, but humans cannot see this world,” Takashi Kudo, Communications Director of teamLab, told Aletihad. “This is the first time humans and living roots meet on land, face to face.”
Without soil, the roots are carefully monitored using cameras and environmental sensors, with botanists and academics involved in maintaining their health.
These trees were cultivated over the past five to six years in a greenhouse in Abu Dhabi, according to Kudo.
As the roots continue to grow over time, the installation itself will gradually change — a key concept for teamLab, which designs artworks to evolve rather than remain static.
“What visitors see today will not be the same in one, two, or three years,” Kudo said. “This work changes every day.”
In a neighbouring space, ‘Massless Suns and Dark Suns’ immerses visitors in a domed environment filled with floating spheres of light.
From any angle, the glowing forms appear as three-dimensional suns suspended in space, creating what teamLab describes as a “cognitive sculpture”.
Between the luminous spheres, faint, dark purple points appear — a phenomena the collective refers to as “dark suns”.
“They exist, but you cannot really photograph them,” Kudo explained. “You can only perceive them if you are here.”
The installation plays with the idea that human perception is selective — that people often see only what they expect to see.
“If we can expand our perception, then the world we see also expands,” Kudo added.
Together, the new works align with teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi’s core philosophy: art as an experiential journey rather than an object to observe.
Visitors are encouraged to slow down and allow their perceptions to shift as they move through the spaces.
Kudo said: "At teamlab Phenomena, we are always seeking new ways to enhance our visitors' experience, creating spaces that inspire curiosity, connection and creativity.“
“The introduction of these two new artworks reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation and reimagining how art con engage the senses and encourage exploration.”
Spanning 17,000 sq. m., teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi was purpose-built as a multi-sensory art environment where installations respond continuously to both visitors and their surroundings.
While the artworks are designed to be universal rather than site-specific, Kudo acknowledged that his personal experience in Abu Dhabi has influenced the project.
He spent part of his childhood in the emirate and recalls a formative experience watching sunrise over the desert - a moment that echoes with teamLab’s approach to scale, continuity and human connection with nature.
Guests can experience the new artworks during teamlab Phenomena's new extended hours from 10 am to 10 pm daily.
