Art city

From cloistered galleries and museums, the inaugural edition of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial took art to the people

- BY NEETA LAL/ABU DHABI

The inaugural edition of the Public Art Abu Dhabi (PAAD) Biennial transformed the Emirati capital into an open air gallery with stunning sculptures, installations and artworks by 70 international artists peppering several parts of the city as well as the world heritage site of Al Ain. The event leveraged public spaces—the coastline, bus station, carpet souk, national theatre, children's park and heritage sites—as showcases of art inviting ordinary people to view them along eight thematic, self-guided routes.

“We wanted to create spontaneous public interactions for residents to uncover new perspectives of their city, exposing them to encounter art in their everyday lives—whether they are driving to work, walking around, or passing by. Through these interventions, they can engage more emotionally and intensely with public spaces than they may have in the past,” said Reem Fadda, director of culture programming at the department of culture and tourism, Abu Dhabi, which organised the event.

Foundational to the $35 million initiative was its community engagement effort which also bolstered the Emirates' wider creative industries through public art. The overarching aim ties in with the UAE's larger cultural policy to position art and culture as key drivers of economic development, challenging the western-centric paradigm in the art world and decentralising from major art trade hubs like New York, London and Paris.