Abu Dhabi, UAE: Louvre Abu Dhabi and luxury Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille opened the fourth edition of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here exhibition, which will be on display until 15 December 2024. The exhibition highlights contemporary artworks, offering a platform for both emerging and established artists from the GCC and North Africa. It underscores the museum's dedication to cultural dialogue and innovation, featuring a diverse range of pieces that showcase the region's rich and dynamic contemporary practices.

Set beneath the museum's iconic dome, Art Here 2024 showcases five sculptures and installations shortlisted for the 2024 Richard Mille Art Prize, featuring exceptional artists from the UAE, Tunisia and Egypt. The exhibition’s theme explores three key concepts reflected in Louvre Abu Dhabi’s three official languages: awakenings (in English), overtures (openings in French) and آفاق (horizons in Arabic).

Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: “We are grateful for our continued partnership with Richard Mille. Displaying the work of contemporary artists from the Arab World at the museum is a core mission for us, and Art Here offers them a unique opportunity to interact with us and share their perspectives with a global audience. The fourth edition of Art Here under the curation of Simon Njami marks a significant evolution in both depth and maturity, with a remarkable selection of artists that will take over the museum spaces under the dome.”

Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille for Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented:  "The Richard Mille Art Prize was established to spotlight and empower some of the most exceptional talents in this region. This year, we are thrilled to see the prize expand into North Africa, setting a new precedent in the history of art prizes across this region. Today, Art Here has become the most dynamic and rapidly growing art prize in the MENA region—designed to endure and evolve year after year. Art Here 2024 stands as a testament to this vision, and its growth this year was met with remarkable passion and strength by curator Simon Njami. I extend my deepest thanks to Manuel Rabaté and the city of Abu Dhabi for their belief in and support of our vision to co-create this prize with Louvre Abu Dhabi."

The selected artists have created site-specific installations centered around these concepts, reflecting on a moment of transition from unconsciousness to consciousness. To be opened and to open represent two facets of the same coin. Opening signifies a starting point—a moment when all possibilities are available, implying choices and decisions on the direction to be taken. It marks the beginning of a journey.

Each shortlisted artist offers a unique interpretation of these temporal concepts, bringing their individual perspectives to the interplay of time and perception. Their works engage with the fluidity of time, transforming it into a tangible experience that invites viewers to explore the intricate layers of awareness, openness and vision within the artistic narrative. The symbolic dome creates a dynamic interplay of shadows, reflections and permeating light, turning the space into a captivating artistic experience.

Guilhem André, Director Scientific, Curatorial and Collection Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: "This year's exhibition marks a significant expansion in our artistic outreach, now including contemporary artists from North Africa alongside the GCC. Under guest curator Simon Njami’s expert guidance, the jury has selected artists who are presenting works that beautifully display the interplay between transformation, cultural dialogue and the nuanced relationship between heritage and modernity.”

Art Here 2024 features the works of five artists:

Franco-Tunisian artist Férielle Doulain-Zouari’s 'Tilling the Soil' is a multi-dimensional exploration of memory and landscape through installations, sculptures, and weavings. Her work captures sensory details and the interplay between natural and artificial realms, revealing how personal and environmental elements intersect and evolve over time.

Emirati artist Lamya Gargash’s 'Debutante Ball' transforms UAE sand into a 2-meter beach ball sculpture, profoundly exploring Arab identity and cultural heritage through the symbolism of sand. This dynamic art piece challenges stereotypes, encourages dialogue, and embodies the warmth and hospitality central to Arab culture, using interactive art to foster curiosity and change perceptions.

Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr explores themes of bravery and resilience through 'The Brides of the Sky', reimagining historical cresting structures that symbolize women's courage during times of conflict. This installation bridges past and present, reflecting on the strength of women while connecting the physical and transcendent worlds.

Tunisian artist Nicène Kossentini's work 'Landscapes' is a poetic exploration of disappearance through the slow alteration of landscapes beneath translucent wax. This installation invites viewers to contemplate the subtle, often invisible transformations of life and environment, reflecting on the fragility and impact of human actions with a sense of "gentle violence".

Sarah Almehairi, an Emirati artist from Abu Dhabi, presents 'Shared Motion', which explores the movement within stillness by showcasing the word "wind" in Arabic, Farsi, Hindi and Urdu. Through this work, Almehairi highlights the intricate interplay of language, culture, and history, offering a new perspective on the region’s ongoing evolution.

Simon Njami, Curator of Art Here 2024, added: “This exhibition marks a new beginning for the Richard Mille Art Prize. By widening the scope of applicants, we have expanded the possibilities for aesthetic confrontations, dialogues and challenges. The exhibition aims to reflect the evolution of contemporary art practices in the region and beyond. One particularity of this project is that it is tailored to be in harmony with the shelter represented by Louvre Abu Dhabi. All the works, conceived specifically for the Prize, were produced site-specifically and will create an environment that should enchant the audience.”

The finalists for the Richard Mille Art Prize were selected by a distinguished five-member jury, led by H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, an Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Chairman of UAE Unlimited, an art collector, and a patron of the Centre Pompidou, the British Museum and Sharjah Art Foundation. Joining him are Dr. Guilhem André, Director of Scientific Curatorial and Collection Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, Simon Njami, Art Here 2024 exhibition guest curator, Nujoom Alghanem, a renowned Emirati poet, artist and multi-award-winning film director, and Maya Allison, the founding director of the Art Gallery and Chief Curator at New York University Abu Dhabi.

The jury received over 200 submissions from artists across the participating regions, of which five artworks were shortlisted. The winner of the Richard Mille Art Prize will be announced at a ceremony in December 2024 and awarded USD 60,000.

For more information on Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2024 and The Richard Mille Art Prize, please visit https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/art-here-2024-proposal

Louvre Abu Dhabi’s operating hours

  • Museum: Open: 10 am – 6.30 pm (Tuesday – Thursday); extended hours: 10 am – 8.30 pm (Friday - Sunday); closed on Monday.
  • Dome: Open: 10 am – midnight (Tuesday - Sunday) - last entry 11 pm; closed on Monday.
  • Museum Café: Open: 10 am – 7 pm (Tuesday - Thursday); extended hours: 10 am – 9 pm (Friday – Sunday). Closed on Monday.
  • Art Lounge: Open: 3 pm – 12 am (last order 11 pm); closed on Monday and during summer.
  • Fouquet’s Abu Dhabi and Marta Bar: Open: 12 pm – 12 am (last orders at 10 pm) (Tuesday – Thursday, Sunday); weekends: 12 pm – 1 am (last order at 10.30 pm) (Friday – Saturday); closed on Monday.
  • Aptitude Café: Open: 9 am – 10 pm (daily including Monday)

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ABOUT LOUVRE ABU DHABI

Created by an exceptional agreement between the governments of Abu Dhabi and France, Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel and opened on Saadiyat Island in November 2017. The museum is inspired by traditional Islamic architecture and its monumental dome creates a rain of light effect and a unique social space that brings people together.

Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates the universal creativity of mankind and invites audiences to see humanity in a new light. Through its innovative curatorial approach, the museum focuses on building understanding across cultures: through stories of human creativity that transcend civilisations, geographies, and times.

The museum’s growing collection is unparalleled in the region and spans thousands of years of human history, including prehistoric tools, artefacts, religious texts, iconic paintings, and contemporary artworks. The permanent collection is supplemented by rotating loans from 19 French partner institutions, regional and international museums.

Louvre Abu Dhabi is a testing ground for new ideas in a globalised world and champions new generations of cultural leaders. Its international exhibitions, programming and Children’s Museum are inclusive platforms that connect communities and offer enjoyment for all.

ABOUT RICHARD MILLE

From the very inception of the brand in 2001, Richard Mille’s approach to watchmaking has always centred on releasing the watch from it restricted role as a mere tool for timekeeping, augmenting and extending its visual potential by placing it directly in the crosshairs of design, art and architecture. Today, 20 years later, the Richard Mille watch collection now comprises of more than eighty models, each designed and produced with the same passion, uncompromising principles and visionary aesthetics that guided Richard Mille’s first creation.

Richard Mille’s watches are marvels of technology designed specifically for those with a keen appreciation and love for fine Swiss watchmaking, playing up the full possibilities of three-dimensional space, defined by both the volume of the watchcase and the movement itself. Within these highly confined areas spanning just a few centimeters that serve as a blank canvas for horological creativity.

This assimilation of watchmaking to artistic endeavors is also reflected in the company’s close connections with the arts. The brand’s partnerships in support of contemporary art and artists include sponsorship of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the contemporary art Biennale Desert X; collaborations with choreographer Benjamin Millepied, composer Thomas Roussel and acquisition of Éditions Cercle d’Art, a publishing house created with the support of Pablo Picasso in the 1950s.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND TOURISM – ABU DHABI

The Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors and its creative industries, fuels economic progress and helps achieve Abu Dhabi’s wider global ambitions. By working in partnership with the organisations that define the emirate’s position as a leading international destination, DCT Abu Dhabi strives to unite the ecosystem around a shared vision of the emirate’s potential, coordinate effort and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies, and systems to support the culture and tourism industries.

DCT Abu Dhabi’s vision is defined by the emirate’s people, heritage, and landscape. We work to enhance Abu Dhabi’s status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its living traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives, and creative thought.

ABOUT SAADIYAT CULTURAL DISTRICT

Home to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abrahamic Family House and the soon-to-open Zayed National Museum, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District is one of the greatest concentrations of cultural institutions. Saadiyat Cultural District is a global platform, emanating from a rich cultural heritage, celebrating traditions, and advancing equitable culture. It is an embodiment of empowerment, showcasing museums, collections, and narratives that supports the region’s heritage while promoting a diverse global cultural landscape. Saadiyat Cultural District is a testament to Abu Dhabi's commitment to preserving heritage while embracing a forward-looking vision. The District invites the world to engage with diverse cultures, fostering dialogue exchange, and offers a global cultural space that supports the region and the global South.