Emirati artists Salmah Al Mansoori and Maktoum Marwan Al Maktoum and Libyan artist Alla Abdunabi are the three creatives taking part in this year’s Beyond Emerging Artists programme.
The annual initiative, organised by Abu Dhabi Art, provides a platform for emerging artists based in the UAE to develop their practice and create ambitious projects. The artists develop new commissions, revealing them at Abu Dhabi Art. This year’s fair will take place between November 19 and 23 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Beyond Emerging Artists is being curated by Issam Kourbaj. The Syrian artist is internationally renowned, and has had his work exhibited worldwide, including at the British Museum, Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, Amsterdam’s Tropenmuseum and the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.
Kourbaj selected the three artists taking part in the programme this year. Their work spans installation, sculpture and conceptual storytelling, touching upon themes of identity, memory and the layered histories of place.
“It was challenging to select just three from among so many exciting emerging artists put forward,” Kourbaj said. “Like many creatives around the world, young artists in the region are directing their gaze towards excavating the present and engaging with urgent matters of our time, whether environmental, social or historical.”
Kourbaj also hinted that the artists will develop work that is “inspired by Al Ain, both as a source and a canvas for new ideas”.
The artists themselves shared statements reflecting on how the garden city will serve as an anchor to their work.
Al Mansoori, a multidisciplinary artist who often documents forgotten places in her work, said she wants to “share stories from my hometown that are often overlooked”.
Al Maktoum said he was looking forward to “investigating the archaeological histories of our country in sites such as the ones found in Al Ain”.
Abdunabi, meanwhile, said she wants to create “site-specific work that listens to the buried histories of the land”.
International exposure
After the works are unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, they will go on to be featured in other events around the world. This opportunity to present work globally is a staple part of the Beyond Emerging Artists platform.
Last year’s cohort – which featured Fatma Al Ali, Dina Nazmi Khorchid and Simrin Mehra Agarwal – will be presenting their works at Sotheby’s Maison in Hong Kong this month, followed by an exhibition in London.
“We are proud to present the 2025 edition of Beyond Emerging Artists in Hong Kong for the very first time, marking an exciting milestone in the programme’s journey,” Afra Almteiri, acting unit head of Abu Dhabi Art Programmes, said. “This exhibition not only showcases the creativity and vision of emerging UAE-based artists but also builds a vital cultural bridge between the UAE and Hong Kong. It reflects our commitment to fostering dialogue, discovery and the global reach of contemporary art from our region.”
