Words By Allegra Salvadori
Under the shadow-play of Jean Nouvel’s dome, Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced the shortlisted artists for Art Here 2025 and the prestigious Richard Mille Art Prize.
With the support of a distinguished jury chaired by H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the fifth edition marks a significant expansion—welcoming voices from across the Gulf and Japan, and inviting bold interpretations of this year’s theme: Shadows.
Curated by Sophie Mayuko Arni, the show—running from 11 October to 28 December—marks a deliberate curatorial expansion into Japan, redefining what it means to be regional in a globalised art world.
Over 400 proposals were received from the GCC, Japan, and beyond. The final six artworks, each charged with a deeply personal interpretation of light, absence, identity, and transformation, will be exhibited beneath the dome. Among the selected artists: Palestinian architect Ahmed Al-Aqra, Emirati digital visionary Jumairy, immersive technologist Ryoichi Kurokawa, Pakistani artist Hamra Abbas, the introspective painter Rintaro Fuse, and the collaborative design duo YOKOMAE et BOUAYAD, who blend Tokyo minimalism with Marrakesh geometry.
This year’s jury, chaired by H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and joined by luminaries such as Maya Allison, Dr. Guilhem André, and Yuko Hasegawa, reinforces the exhibition’s intellectual and cross-cultural ambitions. Arni’s curatorial hand pushes the initiative beyond conventional regionalism, positioning Louvre Abu Dhabi as a platform where emerging voices encounter new light.
As Manuel Rabaté, the museum’s director, aptly put it: “Art Here continues to grow as a platform for dialogue and discovery.” In its fifth edition, the exhibition doesn’t just reflect the region—it refracts it through a wider prism of global contemporary thought.
