"Abu Dhabi Culture and Tourism" Announces the dates and logo of the second session of the Abu Dhabi Art Biennale 2026

2026/07/06 1:37:37 PM

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ABU DHABI, 6 JULY / WAM / The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi announced today the dates of the second session of the Abu Dhabi Art Biennale 2026, and its slogan, as the biennial activities will begin in the city of Al Ain on October 23, 2026, and will be officially opened in Abu Dhabi on November 15, 2026, transforming public spaces in the two cities into vibrant platforms for creativity and community dialogue.

The second session is organized under the artistic direction of Elvira Diangani Osé, former director of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACABA), and bears the slogan “House: A Dictionary of the Concept of Shared Place,” which explores the concept of “House” as a shifting, collective, multi-dimensional space that goes beyond being a fixed geographical location, to reflect human relationships, belonging, and shared experiences.

The Biennale is based on presenting artworks distributed in multiple locations within Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, focusing on research-based artistic practices, and providing free interactive programs for the public, which enhances sustainable interaction with art in public spaces and encourages community participation, rather than being limited to temporary performances.

This session comes as a continuation of the success achieved by the inaugural edition of the Biennale, which was held during the years 2024 and 2025 under the slogan “For the Public,” and witnessed the participation of artists from the UAE and various parts of the world, who presented works designed specifically for public spaces in the emirate.

These works continued their impact after the end of the Biennale, as a number of them were acquired or preserved as permanent, long-term art installations, thus contributing to enriching the growing public art scene in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and enhancing its presence in urban spaces.

The next edition will adopt the concept of public art as a civic practice that contributes to enhancing community participation, producing meaning collectively, and consolidating a sense of place, reflecting cultural diversity and the multi-layered reality of the urban landscape in Abu Dhabi, and providing a space for dialogue and interaction between art and society.

The initiative falls within the “Abu Dhabi Public Art” programme, which works to transform natural scenes and public spaces in the emirate into platforms for cultural expression, dialogue and intellectual exchange, within the framework of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s commitment to protecting, preserving and enhancing cultural heritage, and supporting a sustainable creative environment that celebrates collective memory and keeps pace with future aspirations.