Abu Dhabi Launches $35M Public Art Initiative with Biennial and Light Art Platform
The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi has introduced the Public Art Abu Dhabi initiative, which seeks to enhance the city's infrastructure through artistic expression. Each year, the program will feature both permanent and temporary installations in various public spaces. A significant event associated with this initiative, the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, is scheduled for November 2024 and will run alongside Manar Abu Dhabi, highlighting light art in natural settings. This initiative boasts an annual budget of over $35 million, with the first artwork, WAVE, created by South Korean artists d’strict, already displayed at the Cultural Foundation.
Key facts
- Public Art Abu Dhabi launched by DCT Abu Dhabi
- Annual commissions for permanent or temporary public artworks
- Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial opens November 2024
- Manar Abu Dhabi platform for light art in archipelagos and mangroves
- Over $35 million annual investment allocated
- First artwork: WAVE by d’strict at Cultural Foundation
- WAVE uses anamorphic illusion for 3D wave effect
- HE Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani made statement
Entities
Artists
- d’strict
- d'strict
- Reem Fadda
- Galit Eilat
- Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak
- Rita Aoun
Institutions
- Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
- Public Art Abu Dhabi
- Manar Abu Dhabi
- Cultural Foundation
- Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi)
- Modern Heritage Conservation Initiative
- COEX K-Pop Square
Locations
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Al Hosn