Richard Mille Art Prize Finalists on View at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Seven artists are competing in the first edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize, a partnership between Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille. The exhibition Art Here opened on November 18, featuring works by finalists selected from over 200 applicants. The finalists are Cristiana de Marchi (Italian-Lebanese), Latifa Saeed and Mohammed Kazeem (Dubai), Mays Albaik (Palestinian), Tarek Al-Ghoussein (Kuwait), Taus Makhacheva (Moscow), and Nasser Alzayani (Bahraini-American). Between four and six artists will advance to the winners' exhibition, with one receiving a $50,000 prize. The show explores time, memory, and territory. Works include de Marchi's hand-embroidered maps of Beirut neighborhoods, Alzayani's sand tablets that slowly disintegrate to reveal Arabic script, Makhacheva's high-tech talisman combining video and jewelry, Saeed's glass bricks inspired by Dubai's pavement, Kazem's photographic series taken by his mentor, Al-Ghoussein's ongoing Odysseus series featuring solitary figures in landscapes, and Albaik's anthropomorphic sculptures with multi-screen videos. The prize aims to elevate regional talent, following models like the Duchamp Prize, Hugo Boss Prize, and Turner Prize.