Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Manar Abu Dhabi is a public light art exhibition that aims to foster creativity while celebrating the emirate’s diverse landscapes. For its second edition, Manar Abu Dhabi will bring together 15 Emirati and international artists and artist collectives from 10 countries, featuring 23 works spanning site-specific light sculptures, projections, and immersive installations.
‘The Light Compass” presents contemporary artworks that explore light as both guide and medium in bridging its navigational and poetic dimensions. Curated by Khai Hori, Artistic Director, and co-curated by Alia Zaal Lootah (Curator), Munira Al Sayegh (Curator), and Mariam Alshehhi (Assistant Curator), Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 will take place across four key locations: Jubail Island, Souq Al Mina, and for the first time, Al Ain, with dedicated trails across Al Qattara and Al Jimi Oases.
Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 will run from 1 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 in Al Ain and from 15 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 in Abu Dhabi.
Jubail Island
Jubail Island will be the anchor location for Manar Abu Dhabi 2025. Celebrated for its natural landscape and unique biodiversity, visitors can wander along the sprawling boardwalks that meander through the mangroves and engage with 15 installations Highlights include:
EDEN (2025), a large-scale outdoor installation by Malaysian artist Pamela Poh (b.1991, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) featuring steel structures and suspended glass spheres illuminated at night
Inside a dome-like structure, UNFOLD (2025) by multidisciplinary studio DRIFT (est. 2007, the Netherlands) transforms visitors’ biometric data into unique, ephemeral flowers and soundscapes, while WHISPERS (2025) features a sea of delicate dancing lights that respond to the subtlest currents of air and movement. Alongside a captivating drone performanceWIND OF CHANGE (2025)
Emirati sculptor Shaikha Al Mazrou’s (b. 1988, Sharjah. Lives and works in Dubai) CONTINGENT OBJECT (2025), a striking 30-metre circular land art installation that transforms over time as water crystallises into a salt disc
Montreal-based digital art studio Iregular (est. 2010. Based in Montreal, Canada) will activate the Island with four interactive installations; AS WATER FALLS (2022),FACES(2022),CONTROL NO CONTROL (2012),FORTUNES(2024) that utilise artificial intelligence, sensors and data visualisation
Other artists featured on Jubail Island include Ezequiel Pini (a.k.a. Six N. Five) (b.1985, Buenos Aires. Lives and works in Barcelona, Spain); Christian Brinkmann (b.1989. Lives and works in Hamburg, Germany); Kirsten Berg (b.1969, Berkeley, California, USA); Encor Studio (Est. 2016, Switzerland); and Lachlan Turczan (b.1993, Los Angeles, USA);
For its debut in Al Ain, Manar Abu Dhabi will transform Al Qattara and Al Jimi Oases with dedicated trails of light-based installations
Al Qattara Oasis Trail presents three artworks, with each installation responding to the oasis’ landscape and heritage:
Returning to Manar Abu Dhabi, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (b. 1971, Mexico City. Lives and works between Montreal and Quebec, Canada) will present two works: TRANSLATION STREAM (2023), which presents poems by contemporary Emirati poets Nujoom Alghanem, Khalid Albudoor, and Adel Khozam as a slow stream of letters. Alongside PULSE CANOPY (2025), a hovering canopy of light that responds to the visitor’s heartbeat, upon placing their hand beneath a sensor
Stretching over 70 meters within a historic building, Emirati designer Khalid Shafar (b. 1980, Dubai, UAE) presents SADU RED CARPET (2025), reinterpreting Sadu, a traditional weaving technique within the United Arabi Emirates, and inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Al Jimi Oasis Trail
Boasting a dense canopy of palm trees, the Jimi Oasis Trail invites visitors to continue their journey through the oasis and encounter five artworks:
Installed within the courtyard of a historic house, CYCLE OF CIRCLES (2025) by multidisciplinary Emirati artist Ammar Al Attar (b. 1981, Ajman, UAE) is a photographic series of five self-portraits captured while the artist rode a bicycle in a circular path.
Emirati artist Maitha Hamdan (b.1989, Abu Dhabi, UAE) presents BREATH OF THE SAME PLACE (2025) two light-based installations inspired by the Oasis environment.
Dubai-based Emirati architect Abdulla Al Mulla (b.1990, UAE) presents GUIDING DRAPES (2025), an architectural installation inspired by the luminous decorations that adorn Emirati brides’ houses before and after the wedding.
FLORAL RESONANCE (2024), an interactive audiovisual installation by Christian Brinkmann (b.1989, Hamburg, Germany), where visitors’ interactions with a living plant, placed at the centre of the installation, generate a multi-sensory experience, both physical and digital
Souq Al Mina
Set against the city skyline of Mina Zayed (Zayed Port), KAWS (b. 1974, Jersey City, USA) with long-time partner AllRightsReserved presents KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi, featuring an illuminated COMPANION, the artist’s signature character, reclining on its back and lifting a lit moon in its hands.
