The winning installation of the 10th Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award was unveiled to the public on Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Art.
Urban Fabric is the concept and execution of three second-year NYU Abu Dhabi students: Roudhah Al Mazrouei, from the UAE, Gerald Jason Cruz from the Philippines, and Jennifer Tsai from Taiwan.
The trio were presented The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award in June this year for their innovative and thought-provoking work.
“Producing a work of public art requires creativity, inspiration, intuition and initiative,” said Maya Allison, executive director of NYUAD Art Gallery and the university’s chief curator.
“We have witnessed these traits throughout the years in the work of Christo awardees we have mentored. At this moment, as we ease out of the pandemic, it’s delightful to see a work that so brightly and playfully embodies the idea of our interconnectedness.”
The installation is a series of four sculptures that bear a resemblance to a piece of thread. These forms are connected and intertwined into the ground, turning the physical space around the installation into a canvas for the piece to be experienced on.
Urban Fabric doesn’t only play with ideas of space, the physicality of objects and perception, but it was designed in a manner that invites the public to interact with it.
Mazrouei, Cruz and Tsai come from diverse backgrounds both culturally and from the areas of their study. Combining their knowledge of civil engineering, the arts and art history, the group worked together to create the work.
“The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award provides an exceptional platform for the UAE’s young artists to exhibit their work,” said Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.
“The thought-provoking work represents connection, diversity and the inclusive nature of our beloved city and we are pleased to have partnered with NYU Abu Dhabi once more to help bring the unique project to life.”
Produced annually since 2013, in collaboration with NYU Abu Dhabi and Admaf, The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award gives winning artists $10,000 to produce the work, along with a further $5,000 from Christo's estate to fund future projects.
Urban Fabric was unveiled at the Abu Dhabi Art fair for the first time in the award’s history and will be on show at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus for a period of time before being shown at Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi.
Exploring Abu Dhabi's public sculptures — in pictures
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'The Emerging Man' sculpture features a giant head emerging from the water located on the Yas Bay Waterfront, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
'Flower Parent and Child', a golden sculpture created by Takashi Murakami on the Yas Bay Waterfront promenade, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
'Astrocat', one of four sculptures by CoolRainLabo along the Yas Bay Waterfront, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
This seated sculpture is one of four 'Astrocat' installations at Yas Bay Waterfront. Photo: Yas Bay Waterfront -
The Masdar Park camel art installation in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
The Fountain Circle along Al Maryah Street and Zayed The First Street in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
A multimedia installation made from items found on a shipwreck by Ayesha Hadhir Al Mheiri at the New Fish Market, Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
The work by Ayesha Hadhir Al Mheiri is made from recycled waste found in the ocean. Victor Besa / The National -
Noh Juno's sculpture features two figures holding the 'Flame of Hope' at the permanent exhibition Special Olympics Gardens outside Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Lebanese artist Nadim Karam's 'Grasping the World' at the Special Olympics Gardens outside Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Wooden carvings by Wael Shawky at the Special Olympics Gardens. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
A plastic tree by Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou at the Special Olympics Gardens. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
'Affinity', a mirrored bridge by Mehmet Ali Uysal at the Special Olympics Gardens. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
