The Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial examined public art through the prism of environment, community, urbanity, and indigeneity.
By NEETA LAL
“Art works can help us to remember what matters; they also lend us hope; they dignify sorrow; they expand our horizons; they help us to understand ourselves; they rebalance us; and lastly they make us appreciate the familiar anew”.
Swiss-British author Alain de Botton’s seminal words sprung to mind as I viewed spectacular exhibits at the inaugural Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial in the Emirati capital city. The site-specific installations, by over 70 artists from the United Arab Emirates and other countries, were exhibited throughout the downtown areas of Abu Dhabi and the World Heritage Site of Al Ain.
Yet the event’s aim transcended mere beautification of public spaces. Instead, it invited viewers and citizenry for a deep dive into how environmental conditions impact gathering places and interactions, and how they define what is considered a `public space’. Be it canvas work, live installations or performances, the biennial – that ran until April 30 — examined public art through the prism of four factors — environment, community, urbanity, and indigeneity, while the invited artists enhanced the public understanding of public spaces and their cultural significance.
How a city’s modern development and its indigenous practices address the challenge of preserving traditional values amid gentrification and evolving commercial practices were also spotlighted at the event. For this, it examined diverse forms of habitations — from Al Ain’s pre-petroleum architectural heritage to the region’s traditional mud-brick housing and lush oases.
“The breadth of artists and artworks on display is a testament to Abu Dhabi’s long-term efforts to integrate art into the fabric of society, and ultimately to make it accessible and available to all. The event also highlights the program’s contribution to the preservation of significant architectural and urban spaces, for the wider community,” said Clémence Bergal, the biennial’s director.
Public art as a reflection point
An investment of over $35 million will be dedicated to the initiative annually, the organizers added, to support the emirate’s wider creative industries through public art proving that shared experiences can transcend time and terrain.
While creating more pleasurable surroundings, the event also nudged residents to stop and truly take stock of the places they call home as these often go unheeded in the whirligig of daily life. In this context, the biennial made art accessible without one needing to enter museums or pay to access spaces. This was a delightful sensory experience especially for Indians like me whose exposure to art is limited to perfunctory museum and art gallery visits or the annual art fair!
Kabir Mohanty
Art as Storytelling
But here, art was everywhere. The Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal offered a 30-minute walking route showcasing works by Hussein Sharif, Zeinab Alhashemi, Henrique Oliveira, and Eko Nugroho. Downtown Abu Dhabi, a one-hour walking route took in works by Azza Al Qubaisi, Lúcia Koch, Nathan Coley, Mohammed Al Hawajri, and Radhika Khimji. The Carpet Souq Route featured Christopher Joshua Benton, Khalil Rabah, Eddie Clemens and Yeesookyung. The National Theatre Route, a 30-minute driving route that included works from Afra Al Dhaheri and Kabir Mohanty.
One of the artworks that resonated deeply was Lebanese artist Wael Al Awar’s domed Barzakh pavilion, an ivory-hued legoland of 100 modular pieces crafted from recycled plastic, palm fibers, and brine. In an architectural landscape dominated by globalized modernity, it offered a unique perspective by reimagining these materials, often dismissed as waste, as sustainable building resources.
Palm fibers and crystallized salt bolstered the structure, while shifting light patterns reinforced the synergy between land and sea. As I entered the installation, the temperature inside was also much cooler as compared to the outside, creating a more conducive micro climate for human habitation while highlighting clever of sustainable resources to craft modern architecture.
The concept of engaging communities through shared spaces and storytelling took on a myriad forms at the biennial, such as Load Na Dito, a Manila-based artist duo who transformed a rundown bakery into `In Search of a Monument’, a participatory installation inspired by the ubiquitous yet vibrant storefronts of downtown Abu Dhabi.
Indian artists foregrounded relevant themes
Indian artists foregrounded themes of migration, displacement and nostalgia while presenting a robust, multidimensional view of art’s evolving role in a world increasingly defined by flux. Assam-based Anga Art Collective’s work – Migration Granary – nestled at the World Heritage Site of Al Ain. The architectural complex symbolized the resilience and hardship of historical and contemporary pressures of migration.
Constructed from bamboo, jute, local foliage and fabrics, the granary offered an intimate space for reflection on migration. “Our work critiques alienating modern infrastructures in proposing an environment that encourages empathy for displaced people and ecology. The contemplative archival space relating migration’s challenges connects with Al Ain’s historical significance as a site of human settlement and movement,” elaborated Dhrubajit Sarma of the 10-member collective.
Similarly, Mumbai-based sound artist Kabir Mohanty’s collaborative and immersive sonic installation – An offer from the desert – was inspired by the symbolic rituals of tying threads at a dargah (Muslim shrine), a site of spiritual offerings and remembrance. Starting from workshops initiated as a 2022 Visiting Artist at Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Mohanty invoked personal and shared histories—voices or threads that provide a space of reflection, seeking depth, truthfulness.
The installation paid homage to the bonds of community and the camaraderie it fosters, reinforcing the purpose of art as a medium for communication, emotional expression, beauty creation, and exploration of the human condition.
New Delhi-based journalist and editor Neeta Lal has worked with India’s leading publications in her three-decade career. She writes for over 20 publications worldwide and was nominated for World Media Summit Global Awards for Excellence 2014 and SOPA Awards 2014. A postgraduate in English literature, she has also been a scholar at the International Summer School, Norway and Concordia University, Canada, and has travelled to 75 countries in search of good stories on travel, gastronomy, art and culture.
