Louvre Abu Dhabi unveils 5th Art Here exhibition featuring works shortlisted for Richard Mille Prize

SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)

Louvre Abu Dhabi and luxury Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille have opened the 5th edition of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here exhibition, featuring six contemporary artworks by seven artists shortlisted for the Richard Mille Art Prize.

The exhibition, which is on view until December 28, is curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni under the theme “Shadows.”

Over 400 proposals were received from artists in the GCC, Japan, and MENA, of which six were chosen: Ahmed Alaqra, Hamra Abbas, Jumairy, Rintaro Fuse, Ryoichi Kurokawa, and YOKOMAE et BOUAYAD.

The finalists for the Richard Mille Art Prize 2025 were selected by a distinguished five-member jury, led by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Founder of UAE Unlimited.

The outdoor installation held under the dome features Jean Nouvel’s choreography of light and shade, and interprets shadows as material, metaphor and memory.

The media span stonework sculpture, digital, sound and architecture, and include resin-cast urban silhouettes, lapis-inlaid botanical shadows, canopies, a fog corridor, a digital water well, and a celestial sundial connecting past, present, and future.

Speaking to Aletihad about this edition, Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said, “For Louvre Abu Dhabi, this edition represents continuity, because it is in the museum’s DNA to connect with artists, creativity, and the cultural scene.”

“The Art Here programme, now in its fifth year, reflects our belief that Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first universal museum of the Arab world; a place where artists can find inspiration and a voice.”

On this year’s theme, he added, “We invited artists from the MENA region and Japan. Out of 400 applications, we selected six artworks by seven artists. The chosen theme, the shadow, is universal and deeply rooted in both Japanese and Arab culture, making this exhibition truly meaningful.”

Rabaté said this will be the third edition that visitors will experience under the dome.

“The museum’s outdoor spaces stay open until midnight. Public engagement comes with curiosity and enjoyment-you can have food and art together,” he added.

Japanese artist, Rintaro Fuse, presenting “A Sundial for the Night Without End” (stainless steel, acrylic, wood), said, “There is nothing hiding, everything is reflecting. The art is made by light, so the meter does not give any fixed shape. That monument doesn’t have a shape; it follows the North Star, connecting past, present and future.”

He explained the inspiration: “At the moment we call it the North Star, but in another 30,000 years, the Earth’s movement will shift it to another star. I wanted to visualise something beyond day and night, summer and winter, because these cycles only exist through the Earth’s movement.”

Fuse described the work’s form and meaning: “It looks similar to a sundial, but it doesn’t have a shape. It is a kind of monument where you can project your own thoughts of beauty. You can find in it something that reflects your own behaviour, your own presence.”

He concluded, “I am happy when someone can understand this uniqueness, that the biggest things in the universe and the smallest things on Earth reflect one another.”

Inspired By Myth

Aletihad spoke to Emirati artist, Jumairy, about his work, titled “Echo.”

“The inspiration mainly comes from the inner shadow, a Jungian concept that teaches us that to fully embrace who we are, we must also embrace the darker parts of ourselves.”

He explained how mythology shaped the piece, “Visually, it is inspired by the myth of Echo and Narcissus. Echo was cursed by Hera and unable to communicate her love, while Narcissus was consumed by his own reflection. In my installation, a single narcissus flower attracts the viewer, but the revelation comes when they approach and see their own reflection and their shadow in the pool, which represents Echo.”

Jumairy added, “I theorise that if Echo had recognised her own beauty, perhaps she would not have died in sadness. Through this work, I want the audience to glimpse their inner shadow and, if they choose, accept it. My aim is to get them to interact not just with the artwork, but with themselves.”