Indian artist Hannan Arshad named winner of 2025 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award for edible brick installation

Safekeeping Stories builds upon Mughal-era techniques and materials

UAE artist and graphic designer Hannan Arshad explores storytelling through material fabrication and historical research. Photo: Admaf

An interactive installation incorporating building techniques from Mughal-era India has won the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award.

Safekeeping Stories was developed by Hannan Arshad, an Indian artist and graphic designer living in the UAE. The project was developed under the mentorship of Christianna Bonin, assistant professor at the College of Architecture, Art and Design at the American University of Sharjah.

The installation employs edible materials notably a mortar made with jaggery and bael fruit pulp to form Lakhori bricks – flat, thin red-clay bricks that were a mainstay of Mughal architecture, particularly during the time of Taj Mahal creator Shah Jahan. They were used up to the 20th century, until the British colonisation of India.

In Arshad’s installation, each brick is etched with the artist’s own take of miniature Mughal paintings. The approach transforms the historic building material into an archival form. The bricks are assembled in the shape of a library, allowing viewers to extract them much like they would a book from a shelf.

The Bara Imambara in Lucknow was one of the Mughal sites that inspired Safekeeping Stories. Getty Images

Arshad's inspiration for the project came after visits to the Raza Library in Rampur and the Bara Imambara mosque complex in Lucknow, which instilled an appreciation for Mughal history and materiality.

Images of Safekeeping Stories are currently under wraps and the piece will be unveiled during Abu Dhabi Art in November.

The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award ceremony has been held annually since 2013 in honour of the eponymous late art couple. The award is open to UAE students and recent graduates, and serves as a launchpad for artists across the country.

It was established under the patronage of Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan. It is presented by NYU Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (Admaf), and produced in collaboration with NYUAD Art Gallery.

“The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award continues to celebrate the artists' legacy by honouring winners in the creative industries, and supporting innovation in the fields of fine arts, sculpture and public art,” said Huda Al Khamis-Kanoo, founder of Admaf and Abu Dhabi Festival.

The Raza Library at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh is replete with Indo-Islamic motifs. AFP

“We commend Hannan Arshad's focus through her winning work, Safekeeping Stories, on documenting the rich history of human civilisations, and her dedication to studying and preserving endangered cultural and architectural knowledge, and attempting to revive it through environmentally and nature-friendly building practices.”

The panel for this year’s prize included Al Khamis-Kanoo; Maya Allison, executive director and chief curator of The NYUAD Art Gallery; Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art; Emirati jewellery artist and sculptor Azza Al Qubaisi; Awam Amkpa, dean of Arts and Humanities at NYUAD; and guest juror Nadine Maalouf, vice chairwoman of Design Council Abu Dhabi and advisory committee member of NYUAD Art Gallery.

Emily Doherty, director of the award, said there was strong competition among the shortlisted proposals, with the standard of applications improving year by year.

“The selection committee was captivated by Arshad’s beautiful and thoughtful work,” she said. “Arshad now enters the production part of her artistic journey with the full support of the professional curatorial, technical, and logistics teams at NYUAD Art Gallery, along with her nominated mentor, Dr Christianna Bonin at AUS.

“We are looking forward to unveiling Safekeeping Stories at the entrance to Abu Dhabi Art in November this year.”