Abu Dhabi Art Announces Dates And Visual Campaign Artist For Its 17th Edition In November 2025

The 17th Abu Dhabi Art fair is set for 19 to 23 November at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, it will feature Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou as the Visual Campaign Artist for 2025. Her selection underscores her significant impact on the UAE's vibrant art scene.

Abu Dhabi Art plays a crucial role in nurturing the UAE's art market. The fair is part of a year-long programme that includes commissions, exhibitions, and educational outreach. Each year, a Visual Campaign Artist shapes the fair’s visual identity. Represented by Lawrie Shabibi Gallery in Dubai, Al Mazrou's appointment highlights her innovative contributions to contemporary art in the region.

Al Mazrou’s work is influenced by minimalism and conceptual art, drawing inspiration from Modernist and Bauhaus artists like Paul Klee, Carle Andre, and Wassily Kandinsky. Her sculptures combine mass-produced materials with colour and form to explore space, tension, and physicality through geometric abstraction.

Her artistic practice involves using materials like electronic waste and construction elements to create thought-provoking pieces. "Art isn’t about making things," she says. "It’s about provoking thought... My work? It’s a journey... The transformation of materials is just a way of questioning what we think we know."

Dyala Nusseibeh, Director of Abu Dhabi Art, expressed excitement over Al Mazrou's progress since participating as a Beyond Emerging Artist in 2017. She remarked on her success among her generation in the UAE. The chosen series for this year's visual campaign explores materiality by repurposing discarded matter from local fabrication sites.

The fair will showcase "Beyond All Measures" (2024), an artwork using oxidation on brass to metaphorically explore horizons as thresholds shaping perceptions. The piece invites viewers to reconsider their understanding of the world around them.

Al Mazrou's works are part of major international collections such as RMZ Foundation, Art Jameel, and The Farjam Foundation. She won the Paulo Cunha e Silva Art Prize in 2020 and was shortlisted for the Louvre Abu Dhabi Richard Mille Art Prize. Additionally, she serves as Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi.

This year's Abu Dhabi Art promises to be an engaging event that highlights both established and emerging talents while fostering cultural dialogue through diverse artistic expressions.

With inputs from WAM