Following a celebrated debut in Al Ain earlier this month, Manar Abu Dhabi has now unveiled its full second edition, a sweeping, multi-venue public exhibition that transforms the emirate into a luminous open-air gallery. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the exhibition features 22 light-based artworks by 15 Emirati and international artists, installed across four distinct landscapes: Jubail Island, Souq Al Mina, Al Qattara Oasis, and Al Jimi Oasis.
Curated under the evocative theme “The Light Compass”, this year’s edition invites visitors to trace the ancestral relationship between the Gulf and its guiding element – light. Whether reflected on water, woven through mangroves, or cast across ancient oases, light becomes a medium of memory, imagination, and discovery.
Discovering Different Landscapes
At the heart of the exhibition is Jubail Island, the official presenting partner and anchor venue. Here, visitors encounter 15 monumental installations that reframe the natural sanctuary in striking new ways. Works by Shaikha Al Mazrou, DRIFT, Six N. Five (Ezequiel Pini), Lachlan Turczan, Pamela Tan, and other globally recognised practitioners create moments that feel both surreal and grounding, large-scale, sculptural, and often meditative.
This year marks the first time Manar Abu Dhabi expands into Al Ain’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, with seven new works integrated into the Al Qattara and Al Jimi Oasis trails. Artists including Maitha Hamdan, Ammar Al Attar, Christian Brinkmann, Khalid Shafar, Abdalla Almulla, and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer respond to the oases’ histories, textures, and natural rhythms.
At Souq Al Mina, a single monumental piece draws crowds: KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi, created with AllRightsReserved. The reclining, luminous COMPANION figure, lifting a glowing moon, brings the artist’s global visual language into direct dialogue with the emirate’s shoreline, scale, and night sky.
Art and Experience
More than an exhibition, Manar Abu Dhabi is a city-wide cultural programme. Alongside the installations, visitors can take part in talks, artist-led workshops, performances, and meditative experiences hosted by collaborators such as Fujifilm, The Knot, Gracia Farms, and the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative.
The live performance calendar features international acts including Bedouin Burger, Haepaary, and Ars Nova Napoli, while guided nature walks, sound meditations, and sustainability activities offer pathways into connection. The exhibition also introduces a rare culinary highlight: an immersive pop-up by WE ARE ONA, led by Michelin-starred chef Solemann Haddad of Moonrise, known for his intimate 10-seat dining experience in Dubai.
Throughout Jubail Island and the two Al Ain oases, curated food and beverage pop-ups and guided tours extend the exhibition into a complete cultural encounter.
Public Art in the UAE
Manar Abu Dhabi has rapidly become a landmark in the region’s cultural calendar. This year’s edition reads as a continuation of that ethos: art as a companion to nature, community, and urban experience, and entry to Manar Abu Dhabi is free.
A Season of Light
Manar Abu Dhabi is now open across the emirate until 4 January 2026, offering residents and visitors an extraordinary reason to explore Abu Dhabi’s landscapes anew, at night, through light, and with wonder.
