Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial turns the capital into an open-air gallery

The second phase of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial which has transformed Abu Dhabi emirate into an open-air gallery, runs till April 30.

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The Biennial has unveiled a series of new site-responsive installations as part of a wider programme featuring works by more than 70 artists from the UAE, the region ,and the world. Set up at sites like the Corniche, public parks, the historical Hili Archaeological Site, the serene Al Ain Oasis, the vibrant Cultural Foundation, and the bustling Carpet Souq, the installations by local and international artists reflect on community, environment, and cultural heritage.

Artworks include Migration Granary (2024), by Anga Art Collective, which is an architectural complex symbolising the resilience and hardship of historical and contemporary pressures of migration. Constructed from local materials, the granary in Hili Archaeological Park, Al Ain, offers an intimate space for reflection on migration. The space relating to migration’s challenges connects with Al Ain’s historical significance as a site of human settlement and movement. Anga Art Collective explores the cultural and geographic urgencies of Assam, India.

Urban Negotiation (2024), by Arquitectura Expandida, saw several of its members - Ana Maria Lépez Ortego, Harold Guyaux, and Viviana Parada Camargo- participating in a nine-week residency (Jan. 10 ~ Mar. 12), transforming an existing shop in downtown Abu Dhabi into their studio, Together, they crafted a wooden ping pong table, which travelled through neighbourhoods across Abu Dhabi, sparking encounters and dialogues with communities.

The shop, which was open from 8 pm to 2 am till March 2, was a place where the public could interact with the ping pong table, serving as a “communication device”. Arquitectura Expandida is an activist collective based in Bogotd focused on urban peripheries, community organisation, and equitable public space management.