The second Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial is set to transform public spaces with artworks and installations across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
The programme will open in Al Ain on October 23 before launching in Abu Dhabi on November 15, bringing a series of artist commissions and public projects to venues across both cities.
The second biennial will be led by artistic director Elvira Dyangani Ose, former director of MACBA (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona), and is centred on the theme Home: A Glossary for a Communal Sense of Place.
Rather than treating home as a fixed geographical location, the biennial will explore it as a concept shaped by communities, shared experiences and everyday interactions. Through new commissions, research-led projects and public programmes, the exhibition aims to encourage audiences to engage with art beyond traditional gallery spaces.
The approach builds on the inaugural biennial, which ran from November 2024 to April 2025 under the theme Public Matter. It featured site-specific commissions by artists from the UAE and abroad in open-air spaces throughout the emirate.
For instance, Barzakh by Wael Al Awar, took the form of a large dome structure along the Corniche, which incorporated materials derived from industrial waste, recycled plastic and palm fibre. Meanwhile, at Lake Park, Tentarium by Paweł Althamer paid whimsical homage to the city's cats, with a tent structure shaped like a feline – complete with ears, eyes and tail.
Some of those works have since been retained or acquired as long-term installations, expanding Abu Dhabi's growing public art collection.
The biennial will continue to position public art as more than a visual intervention, presenting it instead as a way to encourage participation, dialogue and a shared sense of place. The programme will explore the emirate's evolving urban landscape and material culture while inviting residents and visitors to encounter art as part of their daily lives.
Public Art is an initiative by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi that brings artworks into public spaces. The programme forms part of the department's wider efforts to preserve and promote cultural heritage while supporting contemporary artistic practice and expanding access to art beyond museums and galleries.
