{"id":48362,"date":"2023-11-07T21:44:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T17:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/?p=48362"},"modified":"2023-11-07T21:44:25","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T17:44:25","slug":"lighting-up-abu-dhabi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/lighting-up-abu-dhabi\/","title":{"rendered":"Lighting up Abu Dhabi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 the $35m Public Art Abu Dhabi<\/a> initiative.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know the artists involved but don\u2019t have much information about exactly what they\u2019ll be showing \u2013 or indeed where, when, and how you get to see them. We did ask for a map of the locations, but it seems such an apparently useful aid is not available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do know in who will be showing and more or less where. The bulk of the exhibits will be along the Corniche, with three on Lulu Island, three in the Eastern Mangroves and three on Samaliayah Island opposite Raha Gardens (for that one we\u2019re promised a 2.3km \u201cart journey\u201d through the island). The rest of the works are installed in a loop through Saadiyat Island, the Jubail mangroves, and Fahid Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also a \u201cmuseum-inspired drone show\u201d on Saadiyat, and \u201ca robust public programme of talks, workshops, and art performances\u201d, but we don\u2019t know anything more than that. Maybe the website <\/a>will be updated to provide a few more clues \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do know that this edition of Manar Abu Dhabi is co-curated by Reem Fadda, director of the Cultural Foundation (and Artistic Director of Public Art Abu Dhabi), and the Emirati artist and curator Alia Zaal Lootah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve gathered an impressive collection of artists for what Reem Fadda called \u201can experience designed to transform our perception of the world around us\u201d. The works, she said, are intended to promote \u201ca sense of calm, engagement and appreciation of Abu Dhabi’s unique biodiversity and natural beauty … It is an exhibition that marries the elements of nature, water, and light art to create a one-of-a-kind experience unique to Abu Dhabi\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rita Aoun, Executive Director for the Culture Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, also emphasised the branding element. She described the Manar as \u201ca dialogue that connects the aesthetic, historical, and social values of the city \u2026 This transformative journey speaks to the emirate\u2019s cultural vision anchored in the collective memory of its residents and enhancing the liveability, wellbeing, and accessibility to all forms of art\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is the second incarnation of Public Art Abu Dhabi, the first being the dramatic WAVE projection on top of the Cultural Foundation (above). November 2024 should see the key event in the programme, the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial. This will be a major spectacle, sure to become a fixture in the international art calendar; it will be curated by Reem Fadda and the independent curator Galit Eilat \u2013 who know each other well, having worked together on the award-winning \u2018Liminal Spaces\u2019 project in Palestine, Israel and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORNICHE<\/h4><\/div>\n\n\n\n