Abu Dhabi Art announces dates, visual campaign artist for 17th edition

Abu Dhabi, April 4: The 17th edition of Abu Dhabi Art will take place from 19 to 23 November at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, (DCT Abu Dhabi) the fair will showcase Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou as the Visual Campaign Artist for 2025, highlighting her influential role in the UAE's dynamic art landscape.

Abu Dhabi Art continues to play a key role in advancing the UAE's growing art market. The fair is the highlight of a year-round programme by Abu Dhabi Art, encompassing commissions, exhibitions, and a strong focus on educational outreach. Each year, the Visual Campaign Artist creates the fair's visual identity. Shaikha Al Mazrou is represented by Lawrie Shabibi Gallery in Dubai. Her appointment as this year's artist is a testament to her groundbreaking contributions to contemporary art in the UAE.

Dyala Nusseibeh, Abu Dhabi Art Director, commented, "Shaikha participated in our 2017 edition of Abu Dhabi Art as a Beyond Emerging Artist, and we are thrilled to see the progression in her work at this stage in her career. She has become one of the most successful artists of her generation in the UAE. The series we have chosen to work with for the visual campaign and visual feel of the fair, offers an exploration of materiality, a repurposing of discarded matter from fabrication sites in the UAE, a certain experimentation or playfulness in creating folds in her work with their attendant unfoldings referencing infinite moments of becoming.

At the fair itself, we will be showing Beyond All Measures (2024), an artwork of oxidation on brass that explores the horizon as a metaphor for thresholds and a point against which our perceptions are shaped. Like the material itself, which is inherently unstable, its colours forged by heat and oxygen, Beyond All Measures metaphorically invites us to explore new ways of perceiving the world around us and to question our position in it."

Al Mazrou's artistic practice is deeply informed by minimalism and conceptual art, drawing on the influences of Modernist and Bauhaus artists such as Paul Klee, Carle Andre, and Wassily Kandinsky. Her work merges mass-produced materials, like electronic waste and construction materials, with colour and form, creating geometric abstract sculptures that explore notions of space, tension, and physicality.

Shaikha Al Mazrou said, "Art isn't about making things. It's about provoking thought. It's a language that doesn't need borders, yet we still insist on them. My work? It's a journey, one that raises more questions than answers, and maybe that's the point. The transformation of materials is just a way of questioning what we think we know."

Al Mazrou's work is part of major international collections, including the RMZ Foundation, Art Jameel, and The Farjam Foundation. She is a winner of the Paulo Cunha e Silva Art Prize (2020) and was shortlisted for the Louvre Abu Dhabi Richard Mille Art Prize. She is also an Assistant Arts Professor of Visual Arts at NYU Abu Dhabi. (ANI/WAM)

Reader Comments

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Sarah K.

So excited for this year's edition! Shaikha Al Mazrou's work is truly inspiring - love how she transforms industrial materials into beautiful art. Can't wait to see the visual campaign come to life! ✨

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Ahmed R.

As an art student, I really appreciate how Abu Dhabi Art keeps pushing boundaries. Al Mazrou's approach to using discarded materials is exactly the kind of innovation we need more of in the region.

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Mariam S.

While I admire the concept, I wish there was more representation of traditional Emirati art forms alongside these contemporary works. Both have incredible value in telling our cultural story.

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Khalid A.

"Art isn't about making things. It's about provoking thought." - This quote from Al Mazrou really resonates with me. Her work always makes me see everyday materials in a completely new way.

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Layla F.

November can't come soon enough! The description of "Beyond All Measures" sounds absolutely fascinating. Love how Abu Dhabi is becoming such an important hub for contemporary art 🎨

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Thomas W.

Interesting choice of artist. I've followed Al Mazrou's career since her NYU days - her growth has been remarkable. The Bauhaus influences in her work create such striking visual tension.

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