NYUAD and ADMAF Announce Winners of Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2023

NYU Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation have selected Vivi Zhu, Hala El Abora, and Majd Alloush as the winners of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2023. The trio receives $10,000 to realize their installation 'Shaheeq' over eight months, supported by award director Emily Doherty, the NYUAD Art Gallery team, faculty mentor Dale Hudson, and ADMAF. Zhu, an NYUAD graduate and documentary filmmaker, has exhibited at the Shanghai Biennale. El Abora, a Dubai-based Palestinian-Jordanian artist, focuses on permanence and preservation, with shows in the US, Canada, and Sharjah. Alloush, an MFA student at NYUAD and a participant in Beyond: Emerging Artists at Abu Dhabi Art 2022, works across printmaking, sculpture, photography, moving image, installation, and performance. Their project 'Shaheeq' examines UAE mangrove trees as existing environmental solutions, advocating a positive approach to the climate crisis. Now in its 11th edition, the award has been produced annually since 2013 with The NYUAD Art Gallery, serving as a launchpad for UAE artists.