What is teamLab? The art attraction coming to Abu Dhabi explained

Immersive experience is one of the most popular around the world

TeamLab Borderless in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Photo: teamLab

TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, the capital’s newest art attraction, will open in the Saadiyat Cultural District on April 18. It will merge art, science and technology through exhibitions across 17,000 square metres that engage sight, sound and touch, according to teamLab. It says the ever-changing installations will seamlessly blend with the architecture, making each visit unique.

But who and what is teamLab? And how did they become an important name in the art world?

Who is teamLab?

Visitors to teamLab Planets Tokyo walk through shallow water with projections on the surface. EPA

Japanese engineering students Toshiyuki Inoko and Shunsuke Aoki, along with three other classmates, founded teamLab in 1998, while they were studying at the University of Tokyo. The group called themselves “ultra-technologists” and consisted of artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects.

During the first 10 years of their project, teamLab made little profit, getting more popular with the growth of smartphone and social media use in the 2010s. The group got their big break in 2011 when Japanese artist Takashi Murakami invited them to make their international debut at the Singapore biennale.

By 2014, teamLab’s work had grabbed the attention of New York’s Pace Gallery, which began promoting the collective’s work and continues to do so.

What is teamLab?

The Crystal Universe installation by teamLab, in Singapore. AFP

TeamLab’s work centres on using technology such as laser projection and colourful lights, alongside smoke machines and reflective surfaces, to create an immersive experience for visitors.

The group uses these and other methods to transform galleries and large rooms. Their work often explores the concept of borders and space, how far the eye can see and what it can recognise in the manufactured space.

For teamLab, art is a living, breathing experience, one that is all around us, and that can be felt vividly in their spaces. Images of everything from universes to gardens are projected around a room, over the ceiling and the walls, bathing visitors in a world of colour.

TeamLab describes its exhibitions as “body-immersive”, requiring a visitor to use all of their senses, including touch, to experience the art. At its exhibition in Tokyo, a section requires visitors to remove their shoes and walk barefoot on a grassy surface to get a fuller experience.

Where is teamLab?

The Massless Suns and Dark Suns exhibit will be on show at teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi. Photo: DCT Abu Dhabi

Today, the group has permanent exhibitions in many cities around the world, including Tokyo, Jeddah, Macau, Osaka, Singapore, Okinawa and Valencia. TeamLab Planets Tokyo holds the Guinness World Record as the most visited museum (in the single art group category), after it recorded 2,504,264 visitors between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

TeamLab continues to host temporary exhibitions while expanding its permanent spaces. This year, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will open, while teamLab Borderless Hamburg is set to open next year. Singapore is the country with the most teamLab exhibitions outside Japan with five.