Placing culture, diversity and interactive art at the centre of its mission, the inaugural edition of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial opened in late November with a host of art installations spread across Abu Dhabi City and the Al Ain Oasis.

The biennial is the latest from the Public Art Abu Dhabi initiative, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, which last year held the first Manar Abu Dhabi Light Art Festival, and has organised other public art pop-ups.

The biennial presents site-specific works by over 70 regional and international artists, all reflecting local stories, interactions and histories experienced when they visited Abu Dhabi ahead of creating their installations.

The citywide exhibition is framed by the theme of defining ‘public’ within the context of Abu Dhabi – exploring how public life has shaped the Emirate’s environment, social structure, way of living, vernacular architecture, and urban expansion – as the city continues to grow and change.

“Our aim for this edition is to really focus on the life of the public and how people are living throughout the city, with different communities and traditions that are all integrated with one another,” explains Alia Lootah, who is part of the curatorial team. “We really wanted to have a theme that will invite the public to rediscover Abu Dhabi, by interacting with popular areas and lesser-known areas in a new way.”

“You have the green parts of Abu Dhabi, which are part of creating a better environment for people living here. So we wanted to highlight the public parks,” she adds. “We also included the underpasses, because they are also part of how things are connected together, along with the Corniche, which is the visited area, as well as Downtown Abu Dhabi, which is a lens into how the city is planned with a grid system so people can comfortably walk across different blocks and appreciate the beautiful architecture.”

The biennial is organised into eight routes, which the public can explore on foot or by car. These include key locations like the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal, the National Theatre, the Carpet Souq, and the Hili Archaeological Park and Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain.

At the vibrant Carpet Souq, Abu Dhabi-based American artist Christopher Joshua Benton’s piece Where Lies My Carpet Is Thy Home is a gigantic 66m x 42m carpet created in collaboration with the souq’s merchants, interweaving stories from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Designed on AstroTurf in the style of an Afghan war carpet, the piece takes the personal stories of the carpet sellers and depicts them in a colourful eight-bit pixel aesthetic. It doubles as a space for evening gatherings, with benches around the edges, and as a durable sports field for community games.

“For eight months, I’ve been working with the men who live and work in the Carpet Souq, and what makes this place really special is that the guys who work here also live upstairs,” says Christopher. “I wanted to create a place that could serve as a third space between work and home, so we designed a space that is like a public plaza, where they could really hang out, play sports, and really relax, but has the look of a carpet.

“It’s infused with the stories of these people. We had drawing sessions, workshops, one-on-one interviews, and over that time, we were able to bring to the surface collective memories of homeland, childhood memories or dreams of returning home,” he adds. “One of my favourites is Wali’s story. He told us how when he has a bite of apple, it takes him back to his home in Afghanistan, because his garden has 1,000 apple trees, so his scene shows this. There are about 30 individual stories on the carpet.”

At the Bus Terminal, a landmark brutalist concrete structure from 1989 painted a pastel green, Emirati artist Zeinab Alhashemi inverts the familiar surroundings with an installation titled Equilibrium – a pair of identical concrete sculptures inspired by the taxi stand at the station.

Examining the balance between human development and the natural world, the sculptures are covered in living grass, with the intention of the plant life growing over the man-made structures in spite of urban expansion.

“I noticed the green pavilions for the taxi waiting area and I’m playing with the scale, repeating the form in smaller versions. Instead of being a shady pavilion, now it becomes a seating area or a place to lie in the sun,” Zeinab says. “Despite the building itself being brutalist – usually just bare concrete – it was painted green, and I think this is part of the beautification we have in the region.”

“In my version, I’m using nature to beautify the structures instead,” she comments. “For me, it’s a commentary on human interference and dominance over nature, in the name of modernisation and urban expansion – when instead we should be finding a balance between the two.”

Another eye-catching work is Palestinian artist Mohammed Al Hawajri’s works Peace Within a Blue Horizon, a large mural on a Downtown building inspired by Emirati weaving, Sadu, which captivated him during a visit to the House of Artisans and Qasr Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi. Finding commonalities between this craft and Palestinian Tatreez embroidery, he pays tribute to both in the painting.

“I started sketching some of the symbols and patterns they use, and compiled them to create a whole tapestry,” Mohammed says. “Its theme is the word ‘peace’ because, in the UAE, there are different nationalities from all over the world, each with their own religious and intellectual beliefs and cultures. Despite this, these people managed to live together in peace and tolerance. I added to this my own culture, combining it with the local traditions.”

Alongside the artworks is an impressive community engagement programme, including talks, film screenings, workshops, tours, interactive experiences, children’s activities, and wellness events. The biennial will unveil a second wave of art installations and activities beginning in January next year, all running until April 30, 2025.

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