A guide to Abu Dhabi's new street art: 37 stunning photos of the murals transforming the capital

Murals have popped up everywhere from Madinat Zayed to under unassuming underpasses – here's who painted them and where to find them

Brazilian street artist Kobra with his work in Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen area. Victor Besa / The National​​​​​​​

Kobra, with Mohamed Al Khadar, executive director of the strategic affairs sector at the DMT. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Kobra's near-2,000-square-metre work stands out in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Kobra, with Mohamed Al Khadar, executive director of the strategic affairs sector at the DMT. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Kobra's bright artworks are certainly eye-catching.

The team from For Abu Dhabi during the unveiling of the mural. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Kobra's mural can be found in Al Bateen. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Brazilian street artist Kobra with his work in Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen area. Victor Besa / The National

Kobra's mural celebrates diversity and tolerance, and he feels it is a continuation of the themes that he has previously explored in his projects. Victor Besa / The National

Kobra's mural is based on an earlier campaign by the Department of Community Development, which showed the many faces of Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Kobra's mural is based on an earlier campaign by the Department of Community Development, which showed the many faces of Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Brazilian artist who currently lives in Dubai, Tarsila Schubert, painted a mural titled 'Umm Al Nar Mother of Fire'. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Schubert blends the many different layers of her every day sensory world, in apparently chaotic, yet balanced artworks. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Schubert's mural decorates the underside of an overbridge. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Schubert says she is 'motivated by the intrinsic value of culture' in creating her at. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Schubert working on her mural. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim's artworks can be found around the UAE.

Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim’s mural 'Grocery' takes its inspiration from the fruit and vegetables sold inside the Madinat Zayed market in Abu Dhabi. Credit @tostfilms

Ibrahim has covered the exterior of the market with a mural, in bright yellows, reds and greens. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Ibrahim has utilised his famous totemic forms in which lines and circles come together to create insect-like beings, or representations of lichens, growing across the building. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Ibrahim has utilised his famous totemic forms in which lines and circles come together to create insect-like beings, or representations of lichens, growing across the building. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Ibrahim transforming Madinat Zayed. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Ibrahim uses a cherry picker to create ‘Grocery’, a mural covers the market at Madinat Zayed. Credit @tostfilms

Ibrahim transforming Madinat Zayed. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport.

MadC, otherwise known as Claudia Walde, is a famous graffiti writer and muralist from Germany. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Elian Chali is an Argentinian artist, born and raised in Cordoba. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Chali's work is known for its minimalism and abstraction. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Elian Chali at work.

Chali uses overlapping layers and opacity to create geometric compositions. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Chali works on his mural. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Elian Chali colour on the city's skyline.

Ernest Zacharevic was born in Lithuania but now lives in Malaysia. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Ernest Zacharevic animates public spaces with interactive murals depicting children at play. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Zacharevic's murals are intended to fuse the physical world with his imagination. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Zacharevic's murals are intended to fuse the physical world with his imagination. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Zacharevic pictured with his mural. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's monolithic sculpture, 'Forever Bicycles', has made Abu Dhabi its temporary home. Courtesy Department of Municipalities and Transport

Have you been walking the streets of Abu Dhabi recently, and noticing things getting a little brighter, or a little more colourful?

Well, that's because it is. And it's all down to a select group of famed street artists who have been unleashed on the city and charged with brightening up its public spaces.

The For Abu Dhabi initiative is overseen by the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, which provides about Dh8 billion in grants for improvements such as park and waterfront restorations, public art commissions and other improvements in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

The initiative is part of the Ghadan 21 programme that aims to increase investment and tourism in Abu Dhabi by 2021.

But there seems to be so many murals cropping up, it's hard to keep track of them all. So below, we've listed all the well-known muralists who have contributed to the capital-wide facelift, and where you can find their pieces.

Kobra

You'll know a Kobra mural when you see one. Kaleidoscopic, larger-than-life with harlequin patterns often woven in with portraits of people, some famous, others less so – this is the Brazilian artist's signature style.

His latest, and one of his largest works to date, bears all these elements. Titled Tolerance (Tolerancia), the near-2,000-square-metre work stands out in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, where it envelops one of the district's buildings.

A self-described “street art soldier”, Eduardo Kobra is one of the most well-known graffiti artists in the world. His murals, of which there are thousands, have been showcased in more than 40 countries across five continents. He has a huge online fan base, too, with nearly a million followers on Instagram.

Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim

Ibrahim is one of the UAE’s greatest artists, and has lent his talents to giving Madinat Zayed a facelift. Until now, the market has been unabashedly old-school Abu Dhabi, featuring concrete pillars that branch out to provide shade to the street and offers within an array of goods, from gold sold by weight to fruit and vegetables.

Ibrahim has covered the exterior of the market with a mural, in bright yellows, reds and greens, with his famous totemic forms in which lines and circles come together to create insect-like beings, or representations of lichens, growing across the building.

Elian Chali

Elian Chali is an Argentinian artist, born and raised in Cordoba. His work is known for its minimalism and abstraction, which he has now brought to Abu Dhabi.

His mural, titled Sharp Liquid, now covers a building on Al Falah Street in Abu Dhabi.

Using a palette of primary colours, the artist uses overlapping layers and opacity to create geometric compositions.

Ernest Zacharevic

This isn't the first time Ernest Zacharevic has come to the UAE to transform a building into a colourful artwork; he was here in 2017 alongside 11 other artists from across the world who were involved in transforming some of the buildings along 2nd December Street in Satwa into giant canvasses as part of the Dubai Street Museum project.

The 12 artists painted 16 murals on themes drawn from the country’s history and heritage.

This time around, the artist, who was born in Lithuania but now lives in Malaysia, has created murals for the capital, titled Kids of Abu Dhabi. They can be found around Madinat Zayed.

It's a pertinent scene for Zacharevic, as he's known to animate public spaces with interactive murals depicting children at play.

The light-hearted pieces are extremely popular around the world, and they're intended to fuse the physical world with his imagination.

Tarsila Schubert

Schubert is a Brazilian artist who currently lives in Dubai. She blends the many different layers of her every day sensory world, in apparently chaotic, yet balanced, artworks.

Schubert's colourful mural can be found covering the Delma Street Underpass.

A series of simple figures, when combined, create a complex and multi-faceted scenario; surrealistically mirroring her own reality. As for what inspires her art, Tarsila is motivated by the intrinsic value of culture and how it influences one’s personality.

MadC

MadC, otherwise known as Claudia Walde, is a famous graffiti writer and muralist. Born in Bautzen, Germany, she is well-known for her large-scale, outdoor paintings – which is probably why she is right home here in Abu Dhabi.

MadC started out as a graffiti writer as a teenager, and has since branched out into other areas including graphic design, writing, and fine art). She painted her first graffiti piece in 1996, at just 16.

MadC’s mural can be found on a high-rise building on Al Ruwaysi Street, near Fathima Supermarket.