TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, the attraction led by Japan's renowned technology-driven art collective, will open in Saadiyat Cultural District on April 18.
It will blend art, science and technology through exhibitions, engaging the sight, sound and touch of its visitors across 17,000 square metres, the company says. It will feature original and ever-changing art with installations “designed to flow” with the amoebic architecture, teamLab adds, ensuring that no two visits will be the same.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, says he hopes teamLab's permanent home will "inspire new generations of innovators, thinkers and creators from Abu Dhabi and beyond".
“Once opened, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will offer an immersive journey that sparks infinite curiosity and imagination in all who visit," he adds. "At the intersection of art, technology and nature, it will create a world of limitless wonder and creativity."
TeamLab's founder Toshiyuki Inoko says: “The artworks in teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi do not exist independently, but are created by the environment which produces the various phenomena that cause the artworks to exist."
Saadiyat Cultural District's latest landmark will join several others due to be completed this year, including Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
Saadiyat Cultural District is already home to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat and the Abrahamic Family House, which are open to the public.
Founded in Tokyo in 2001, teamLab has become famous for its embrace of digital technology and the importance that it places on the symbiotic relationship between art and the viewer. It has held many successful exhibitions around the world, including in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with news of its permanent home in Saadiyat Island announced in 2022.
The space's unique architecture was conceptualised by teamLab and realised by Abu Dhabi-based MZ Architects.
Two exhibitions, Massless Suns and Dark Suns and Levitation Void, will be on show when it opens. Tickets will cost Dh50 for ages four to 12; Dh115 for ages 13 to 17; and Dh150 for adults (ages 18 and above). They are available to book online
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A sneak peek at teamLab Phenomena is being offered as part of an exhibition at Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Victor Besa / The National, unless otherwise specified -
teamLab Phenomena is scheduled to open in 2024. Photo: DCT - Abu Dhabi -
The Waves of Light experience aims to instil a feeling of unity and references the interconnectedness of the globe’s oceans. -
The Resonating Microcosms - Solidified Light Color experience experiments with the concepts of colour and sound through large translucent ovoids. -
Dozens of these egg-shaped structures are arranged in an expansive mirrored room, giving the feeling of an infinitely replicating area. -
As visitors move through the ovoids, they change light and trigger a sound. -
When ovoids are moved in unison, a digital chime resonates across the space. In contrast, when people are still, the ovoids flicker slowly and emit a more subdued sound. -
Waves of Light leads to a presentation offering a glimpse at what to expect from the space.
