Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial - Al Ain

Rather than placing art inside a conventional exhibition space, the Biennial uses Al Ain itself as its setting. The first chapter unfolds through working farms, historic irrigation systems and one of the city’s busiest public roundabouts, connecting contemporary art directly with the landscape and everyday life.

This is particularly significant at Al Qattara Oasis, part of Al Ain’s UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape, where three commissions respond to ideas of water, migration, ecology and vernacular architecture. Under the theme Home: A Glossary for a Communal Sense of Place, Artistic Director Elvira Dyangani Ose approaches “home” not simply as a physical location but as something constructed through memory, community and shared experience. The Biennial expands to Abu Dhabi on 15 November, but Al Ain is where the 2026–27 edition begins.