Public art – magpie

14 November 2025

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: phase two

11 February 2025

The Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial kicked off its second phase this week with nine new works for locations across the emirate. There were unveilings by Anga Art Collective, Arquitectura Expandida, Ayesha Hadhir, Lúcia Koch, Nnenna Okore, Sophia Balagamwala, Tarik [ … ]

Abu Dhabi’s second major public art initiative opens

13 November 2024

This week sees the launch of the first edition of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial. It features site-specific installations by more than 70 artists, both UAE-based and international, in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. There’s a theme for the [ … ]

Shedding light on the matter: the arrival of the UAE light festival

24 January 2024

Regular readers will know that magpie has always been a fan of the Sharjah Light Festival, the 13th edition of which runs 7 to 18 February. Key locations in the emirate are being lit up – sustainably, of course – [ … ]

Lighting up Abu Dhabi

7 November 2023

From 15 November to 30 January 2024 Abu Dhabi is getting three dozen site-specific light sculptures and installations. Under the name Manar Abu Dhabi (‘manar’ being a lighthouse or a guiding light), this is one of the key programmes in [ … ]

Jaddaf Playscape commission: a playground for everyone

25 July 2023

The winning proposal for the inaugural Jaddaf Playscape Commission for Dubai Public Art is a playground for all ages from the UAE-based design collective Theories of Imagination (TOFI) – artist-architect Noor Alwan and artist-designer Abdulla Buhijji. Due to open to [ … ]

Public Art for all: Abu Dhabi’s plans

29 March 2023

DCT Abu Dhabi has announced the launch of a major public art imitative for Abu Dhabi, supported by a substantial investment – more than $35 million a year. The aim of Public Art Abu Dhabi: “to support the emirate’s wider [ … ]

Three more calls for Dubai Public Art commissions

21 March 2023

Dubai Culture is collaborating with Alserkal Arts Foundation to deliver a series of three projects under the Dubai Public Art umbrella. This is the third of five such collaborations that aim to bring art to the city’s public spaces; the [ … ]

Shortlist for the inaugural Dubai Public Art Commission

6 March 2023

The artists shortlisted for the first Dubai Public Art commission, a piece to be installed in an Al Hudaiba park that overlooks Etihad Museum and Union House, have been announced. Dubai Public Art is a Dubai Culture strategy to put [ … ]

Playdates: second Dubai Public Art open call

13 February 2023

The second of the competitions in the Dubai Public Art initiative has been announced. It’s for a ‘Playscape’ – “a large-scale, interactive and playful public artwork” to be installed at the Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park next to the Jameel Arts [ … ]

Art for all in Dubai

18 January 2023

On the eve of Art Dubai, Dubai Culture has invited applications for the first commission of Dubai Public Art. This is a new government-funded initiative aimed at providing the city with significant public art installations created by UAE-based artists; it [ … ]