Abu Dhabi Art's Beyond Program Unveils Three Site-Specific Works in Al Ain

Three site-specific projects from Abu Dhabi Art's Beyond program, which concluded last weekend, remain on view until mid-January in Al Ain, a city on the border with Oman considered the cradle of Arab civilization and the UAE. Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi created two interventions in the Al Ain oasis, working within irrigation channels based on the ancient falaj system. In one plot, red and white floral motifs mingle with white spermatozoa; in another, blue pigment is dripped onto palm leaves. At Jahil Fort, Qureshi installed a paradoxical bed of synthetic black roses, engaging with the impossibility of plant growth in a desert environment. The fort also features Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr's large-scale work: a circle of intertwined bread paddles forming a sun-barrier, ambiguously referencing migration by sea and the shared Mediterranean food culture. At the former residence of founding father Zayed, now a museum, Emirati artist Ammar Al Attar presents a photographic series that appears abstract but reveals details of animal hides, evoking geometric abstraction in traditional Arab culture.