Building on the success of its inaugural edition, Manar Abu Dhabi will once again illuminate the archipelagos, mangroves, and oases of Abu Dhabi from November 15, 2025, to January 4, 2026. Organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), this public light art exhibition aims to inspire creativity and celebrate the emirate’s unique natural landscapes.
Under the theme “The Light Compass” , this edition will feature 19 newly commissioned works and light sculptures, projections, and immersive installations by Emirati and international artists. Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 is curated by Khai Hori, Artistic Director , who was previously Deputy Director of Artistic Programming at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Senior Curator at the Singapore Art Museum, where he oversaw Singapore’s National Collection of Contemporary Art, and Senior Curator in the Curatorial Development Department of the National Heritage Board of Singapore. The exhibition is co-organized by Alia Zaal Lootah, Curator; Munira Al Sayegh, Curator; and Mariam Alshehhi, Assistant Curator.
Drawing inspiration from the Gulf’s ancestral relationship with light, this edition of Manar Abu Dhabi brings together contemporary artworks that respond to its presence, behavior, and resonance through natural and technological forms and expressions. As the theme “The Luminous Compass” suggests, light is considered both a guide and a medium, whether contextualizing its navigational traditions by orienting sailors and desert nomads or establishing poetic modes of knowledge and communication through its ephemeral nature. Situated across Abu Dhabi’s diverse landscapes, Manar Abu Dhabi will unfold across mangroves, sandbars, oases, and urban peripheries, where the artworks form a breathing constellation and become a living map shaped by reflection and relationship.
Jubail Island will serve as the centerstage for Manar Abu Dhabi 2025, anchoring this year’s expanded edition. In addition to an exciting rollout to other cities, the exhibition will expand to the Al Ain Region for the first time , reflecting the festival’s growing cultural footprint in the region. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Al Ain Region, with its lush oases and ancient archaeological sites, offers a landscape radically different from the capital’s coastal archipelagos and mangroves. Manar Abu Dhabi’s light installations will adapt to the unique terrain of the Al Qattara and Al Jimi oases —green sanctuaries nestled in the city’s desert topography, fed by ancient aflaj irrigation systems —and will highlight the enduring connections between water, land, and life. The Al Ain region installations will be on display from November 1st and will coincide with the traditional crafts festival.
As part of Public Art Abu Dhabi ‘s ongoing commitment to enhancing the emirate’s public spaces through art, a dynamic public program of talks, workshops, and performances will accompany the exhibition, providing visitors with meaningful opportunities to engage with the artworks.ADVERTISEMENT
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