Manar Abu Dhabi Reveals Artists for its Second Edition

Manar Abu Dhabi has officially unveiled the roster of artists and collectives selected for its second edition, set to transform parts of the Emirate through site-specific light art installations.

Organized under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the 2025 edition will run across multiple venues, including Jubail Island, Souq Al Mina, and, for the first time, Al Ain’s oases of Al Qattara and Al Jimi. 

Curated by Artistic Director Khai Hori and co-curated by Alia Zaal Lootah, Munira Al Sayegh, with assistance from Mariam Alshehhi, the thematic concept for 2025 is The Light Compass. This guiding motif frames light as both medium and metaphor: as a navigational tool, an abstract pointer, and a poetic expression across the landscapes of Abu Dhabi. 

Fifteen artists and creative groups have been shortlisted to participate. These include:
Christian Brinkmann, DRIFT, Encor Studio, Ezequiel Pini (aka Six N. Five), Iregular, Kirsten Berg, Lachlan Turczan, Pamela Poh, Shaikha Al Mazrou, KAWS, Khalid Shafar, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Abdulla Al Mulla, Ammar Al Attar, and Maitha Hamdan. 

Jubail Island will act as the anchor hub, exhibiting 15 installations throughout the mangrove setting. Noteworthy planned works there include Pamela Poh’s steel and glass sphere piece “EDEN (2025)”, Shaikha Al Mazrou’s large land art installation “CONTINGENT OBJECT (2025)”, and multiple interactive works by Iregular.

Other contributing names such as Ezequiel Pini, Christian Brinkmann, Kirsten Berg, and Lachlan Turczan, will also have installations there. Meanwhile, studio DRIFT plans to present several responsive works, including UNFOLD (2025) — a dome‐like installation transforming biometric data into evolving florals and soundscapes — as well as WHISPERS (2025) and WIND OF CHANGE (2025) that interact with ambient environmental conditions. 

In Souq Al Mina, one of the marquee installations is the KAWS: HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi piece, featuring the artist’s iconic COMPANION figure holding an illuminated moon. 

For the first time, the exhibition extends into Al Ain, set within UNESCO-recognized oases. Al Qattara and Al Jimi will host works from artists including Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Khalid Shafar, Ammar Al Attar, Maitha Hamdan, Abdulla Al Mulla, and Christian Brinkmann. 

The schedule splits between locations: in Al Ain, exhibitions will run from 1 November to 4 January 2026, while in Abu Dhabi proper, the displays will open from 15 November to 4 January 2026. 

As an initiative of Public Art Abu Dhabi, one of DCT’s cultural programmes, Manar Abu Dhabi aims to harmonize art, nature, technology, and place. In this expanded edition, its geographic spread and artist roster reflect the ambition to broaden the cultural reach into both the capital and the hinterland oases. 

Beyond the visual spectacle, the edition will be accompanied by a dynamic public programme featuring talks, workshops, and performances — offering audiences deeper engagement with the art, the artists, and the landscapes they inhabit. 

With this reveal, Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 positions itself not just as an exhibition of light but as a constellation of meaning, weaving together environment, heritage, innovation, and human experience through the prism of illumination.