Art Here 2025: Louvre Abu Dhabi and Richard Mille Elevate Cross-Cultural Contemporary Art
Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille return for the fifth edition of their transformative showcase—Art Here 2025 and the Richard Mille Art Prize—further strengthening their joint commitment to highlighting exceptional works of contemporary art from the Gulf, Japan, and the MENA region within a broader global arts discourse.
Set beneath the museum’s iconic geometric dome, Art Here 2025 opens from 11 October to 28 December, and is curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni, who envisioned this edition around the evocative theme of “Shadows”. The concept explores the contrast between light and absence, visibility and concealment, while delving into the nuanced dimensions of memory, identity, and transformation.
This year’s open call saw a surge in creative engagement, generating over 400 proposals from artists across the GCC, Japan, and the broader MENA region. From these, six proposals by seven artists were selected for their unique and deeply personal approaches to the theme.
The distinguished jury for Art Here 2025 includes:
- His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, founding patron of UAE Unlimited, and a board member of the British Museum and Centre Pompidou.
- Dr. Guilhem André, Director of Scientific, Curatorial, and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
- Maya Allison, Chief Curator at New York University Abu Dhabi.
- Yuko Hasegawa, international curator and former Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
- Sophie Mayuko Arni, Guest Curator and founding Editor of Global Art Daily.
Selected Artists
The six projects being showcased reflect diverse voices and working methods across disciplines:
- Ahmed Al-Aqra (Palestine): Renowned for merging philosophy, architecture, and art, his projects often dissect spatial practices.
- Jumairy (UAE): Known for haunting digital performances, dissolving boundaries between reality and the virtual.
- Ryoichi Kurokawa (Japan): Blends sound and imagery through immersive, sensory installations at the nexus of technology and visual poetry.
- Hamra Abbas (Pakistan/UAE): Her work brings a contemporary lens to Islamic aesthetics, often exploring faith, gender, and diasporic identity.
- Rintaro Fuse (Japan): Uses painting, film, and poetry to reflect on digital-age isolation and urban alienation.
- YOKOMAE et BOUAYAD (Japan/Morocco): A duo blending Tokyo–Marrakesh design heritages, experimenting with form, geometry, and cultural symbiosis.
These artists collectively present evocative interpretations of how “shadows” manifest across space, identity, and time. Their works will form a critical part of the annual exhibition staged under the architectural marvel of Jean Nouvel’s dome, where art and light physically intertwine.
As the chosen artists begin the process of installation, the initiative cements its role in fueling a dynamic creative exchange across borders.
In the words of:
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Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi: “Now in its fifth edition, Art Here continues to grow as a platform for dialogue and discovery, bringing together emerging artistic voices from across the region and, for the first time, Japan… rooted within the dynamic cultural landscape of Saadiyat Cultural District.”
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Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille EMEA: “The expansion into Japan reflects our shared vision… to build meaningful connections between artists and audiences across different contexts.”
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Dr. Guilhem André: “The evolution of Art Here over its five editions has seen it become a flagship exhibition… reaffirming our role as a hub for both regional and international creativity.”
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Sophie Mayuko Arni: “Expanding the geographical reach of the Prize may come with challenges, but fostering cross-cultural understanding sits at the heart of the museum’s mission and provides artists with new horizons to dream and imagine.”
As Art Here 2025 unfolds, it signals a maturing platform that not only champions underrepresented artists but also dares to interrogate the unseen, the ephemeral, and the transcultural through contemporary artistic language.
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
