In a year declared as the UAE’s Year of Community, Abu Dhabi Art 2025 is amplifying its role as a cultural bridge, uniting artists, students, and institutions through a shared vision of creativity and connection. This year’s edition unveils an inspiring roster of community-led initiatives that merge art, technology, and sustainability in profoundly human ways.
From kinetic installations designed by robotics engineers to eco-conscious pavilions inspired by the palm tree, Abu Dhabi Art’s 2025 Community Projects embody a future where culture and innovation move hand in hand.
The Community Partners Exhibition
For this year’s Community Projects Exhibition, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) takes the lead in collaboration with Studio Salasil, a curatorial collective rooted in experimentation and social dialogue. The exhibition reflects on how creativity can shape collective identity, inviting audiences to explore art as a means of connection and care.
“The UAE’s declaration of the Year of Community serves as a timely reminder of the essential role community engagement plays in shaping a more connected and inclusive society,” says Mariam Bader Al Zarooni, Community Projects Lead at Abu Dhabi Art. “At Abu Dhabi Art, it has renewed our commitment to placing community at the centre-not only through accessible programming, but through meaningful partnerships that unite people through shared creative experiences.”
Participating partners this year include Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative (FBMI), Khaleeji Art Museum, Maraya Art Center, Mubadala Investment Company, NYU Abu Dhabi, National MS Society, and Zayed University’s College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, each contributing to a dialogue that extends beyond the fairgrounds.
Art + Tech: Heritage Through Motion
At the intersection of creativity and robotics, Dr. Ahmed Al Attar, Emirati artist and founder of REALIITY, leads this year’s Art + Tech programme. Drawing inspiration from traditional Sadu patterns, Al Attar and a group of UAE university students are developing a kinetic installation that fuses heritage with technology.
The project, titled Kinetic Heritage, transforms patterns into dynamic, actuator-controlled projections that move and evolve in real time, bridging ancestral craftsmanship with digital expression. The work will premiere at Abu Dhabi Art Fair this November, following campus previews across the UAE.
The Pavilion Prize: Sustainability and Storytelling
Since 2017, the Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize has served as a platform for emerging architects and designers. This year’s winners, Sara Alsehhi and Sarvani Pagadala, captured the jury’s attention with Awda, meaning “return” in Arabic.
Inspired by the ecological and cultural symbolism of the palm tree, their winning pavilion reimagines the palm not only as a natural element but as a vessel of memory, material, and belonging. Designed as a sustainable, temporary structure to host visitors at the fair, Awda represents both environmental consciousness and emotional resonance, a modern reflection on heritage and home.
Safekeeping Stories: Artistic Recognition
Adding to the line-up, Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award winner Hanan Arshad will unveil her installation, Safekeeping Stories, at this year’s fair. The work continues Abu Dhabi Art’s tradition of supporting emerging voices who blur the boundaries between personal narrative and collective identity.
Through these interconnected programmes – Community Partners Projects, Art + Tech, and The Pavilion Prize – Abu Dhabi Art 2025 cultivates creativity that speaks to and from the UAE’s community.
As the nation celebrates its Year of Community, the fair stands as a living example of how art can build bridges, shape perspectives, and create spaces where innovation meets empathy.
For more information, visit www.abudhabiart.ae.
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