Manar Abu Dhabi, the compass light in the Gulf
The Light Compass transforms islands, beaches and waterfronts into a light atlas of site-specific works: $35 million spent, large turnout of residents and visitors
Key points
When the light art exhibition 'Manar Abu Dhabi' opened in 2023, it opened up a new way of narrating and bringing the capital to life for its citizens. Far from the clamour of museums and trade fair circuits, the project chooses night as its exhibition space and light as its shared language. Not an ephemeral event, but an urban laboratory in which art and territory illuminate each other. The new edition of Manar Abu Dhabi (15 November to 4 January) entitled "The Light Compass" under the curatorial direction of Khai Hori, brings together 15 Emirati and international artists and collectives from 10 countries and presents 22 site-specific light sculptures, projections and immersive installations that stimulate creativity while celebrating Abu Dhabi's diverse natural and urban landscapes.
'It is a project designed for everyone,' says Reem Fadda, director of the Cultural Foundation and Abu Dhabi Cultural Sites at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, 'which offers anyone the chance to freely explore art installations spread throughout the territory, transforming the city into an open-air museum accessible free of charge. A choice that reinforces the idea of a shared, open and inclusive culture, capable of involving the everyday life of Emiratis and others, of bringing them closer to an innovative vision of their own urban landscape'.
The first edition of Manar Abu Dhabi attracted some 668,000 visitors, a number that surprised even the organisers, consisting mostly of families, who took advantage of the 'cool' autumn evenings to visit the exhibition. "This year," says Fadda, "the aim is to improve the visitor experience and make everything as smooth as possible.
If the first edition brought the works to the islands Lulu Island, Samaliyah Island and Eastern Mangroves, many of them accessible only by boat. "Islands that are not usually open to the public were favoured in order to make the exhibition not only an artistic event, but also an opportunity to experience the emirate's environment in a new way," says Fadda. For this second exhibition, accessibility was at the centre of attention: 'the boat trips were great, but we wanted more people to be able to participate easily, which is why this time, in agreement with the property developers who are partners in the initiative, we focused on an island surrounded by mangroves near the Jubail Mangrove Park, one of the largest mangrove forests in the region. With locations spread between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, most of them easily accessible by car, accessibility and fluidity were therefore put first.
The budget for public art
In Abu Dhabi, public art is experiencing a season of great expansion. With Public Art Abu Dhabi (PAAD), the emirate has decided to invest USD 35 million a year to transform the city into a diffuse stage where art installations and interventions become part of everyday life. It is a strategy that aims to give new impetus to the local creative industries and, at the same time, to consolidate Abu Dhabi's image as a leading cultural destination on the international scene.
The vision is divided into several projects
The Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, which opened in November 2024, brought interactive works and installations to numerous locations around the city, accompanied by a busy calendar of events. Alongside this, 'Manar Abu Dhabi' illuminates the islands and mangroves with sculptures and light art installations that reshape the nocturnal landscape. Completing the picture is a cultural programme that invites the public to participate: workshops, conversations with artists, guided tours and performances designed to create an ongoing dialogue with the city. Thus, step by step, Abu Dhabi weaves art into its urban fabric, building a new way of experiencing public space.
