Abu Dhabi’s art initiatives reveal the soul of the emirate

A work by Jasem Alsanea is on display at Abu Dhabi Art. Victor Besa / The National

What defines a city? Travel anywhere in the world, and what lingers in the mind in the weeks and years after is its culture – museums, public art installations and singular events. Through art, we discover a city’s true spirit.

And across the UAE capital this week, art is in the hearts and minds of both residents and visitors alike. At Manarat Al Saadiyat, the annual Abu Dhabi Art is running until Sunday, a bustling festival that showcases regional and international talent and treasures both old and new. And across the emirate, the first Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial has launched, featuring installations and events that will be on show until April.

Years ago, Abu Dhabi’s leaders listed art as a key pillar of the emirate’s future, and ever true to their word, their dream has become a reality. The Saadiyat Cultural District is nearing completion, with the Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi each set to launch, joining Louvre Abu Dhabi.

But these institutions, each with a distinct mission, will only form part of the emirate’s artistic identity. Events such as Abu Dhabi Art and the biennial define the contemporary pulse of the regional art world – and continue an intricate conversation with the global scene.

Tabari Art Space's booth at Abu Dhabi Art 2024 is an exploration of the roots in the levant. Photo: Tabari Art Space

And as platforms, they’re more vital than ever. At Abu Dhabi Art for instance, artists from Palestine and Lebanon are exhibiting their work at a time when their cultures are under direct threat from Israeli attacks. The UAE is a haven for both the artists and their works during time of strife, helping to nurture and amplify voices that might otherwise be silenced.

Maliha Tabari, founder of the Tabari Artspace, has curated an exhibition at the festival focused on artists from the Levant with that aim in mind.

“Routes to Roots is about storytelling and preservation,” she told The National. “It is an active effort to ensure that future generations can encounter and engage with the positive and abundant heritage of the Levant.”

Creativity cannot thrive without institutional support – galleries, museums, as well as public and private initiatives. And art is under threat not only in areas plagued by conflict – without benefactors, artists can’t afford to pursue art. Across the world, funding is drying up, and even established voices are struggling to continue their passions. Increasingly, those luminaries are turning to the UAE as a bastion of support.

Clearing by Athar Jaber, one of the installations on display at the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial. Chris Whiteoak / The National

But Abu Dhabi is not only a leading voice in the global and regional art scene for this reason. Increasingly, it is the UAE’s own artists that are catching the world’s attention. And each year, an increasing number of brilliant Emirati creatives emerge, in part because they are given the tools to develop their brilliance.

And the seeds for generations to come are now planted across the emirate. Public art, eminently accessible in both the city of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, could act as an inspiration for the many children who will discover it both actively and passively. Art workshops at Louvre Abu Dhabi may be their next step, letting their imaginations run wild. And in the years to come, they’ll come of age in a rich landscape, with myriad opportunities to both create, display and interact with the art world.

Art has come to define Abu Dhabi in both the global and local imaginations. And as the emirate’s events and institutions continue to rise in quality and significance, its spirit will soar ever higher.