Teamlabs’ newest permanent exhibition to open in Abu Dhabi

This new exhibition in the Middle East challenges our understanding of art and our place in an ever-changing world

In a world where art has long been defined by material permanence, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi invites us to embrace a new paradigm — one where existence itself is fluid, shaped by the environment and the ephemeral forces that sustain it.

Opening on April 18 in the Saadiyat Cultural District, this ambitious, permanent exhibition dissolves the boundaries between artwork and atmosphere, immersing visitors in a world where light, air and water coalesce into something akin to life itself.

Having experienced teamLab’s Singapore outpost — a mesmerising interplay of digital art, interactive installations and nature-inspired immersion — the prospect of visiting Abu Dhabi’s Phenomena sounds exciting. Here, artworks do not exist in isolation; they are conjured by their surroundings, reliant on the delicate balance of the environment for their existence. They are neither fixed nor finite. They pulse, they shift, they evolve — much like life itself.In a world where art has long been defined by material permanence, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi invites us to embrace a new paradigm — one where existence itself is fluid, shaped by the environment and the ephemeral forces that sustain it.

Opening on April 18 in the Saadiyat Cultural District, this ambitious, permanent exhibition dissolves the boundaries between artwork and atmosphere, immersing visitors in a world where light, air and water coalesce into something akin to life itself.

Having experienced teamLab’s Singapore outpost — a mesmerising interplay of digital art, interactive installations and nature-inspired immersion — the prospect of visiting Abu Dhabi’s Phenomena sounds exciting. Here, artworks do not exist in isolation; they are conjured by their surroundings, reliant on the delicate balance of the environment for their existence. They are neither fixed nor finite. They pulse, they shift, they evolve — much like life itself.

At Phenomena, the environment itself generates and sustains the works. This is not art as an immutable entity but as an ‘environmental phenomenon’— a state of being that is simultaneously fragile and eternal. If the environment remains intact, the work persists; if the conditions change, the work vanishes. The very architecture of Phenomena Abu Dhabi echoes this philosophy. Unlike conventional museums, this space has no clear distinction between interior and exterior. It is a continuous entity, almost organic in its fluidity, like a shifting desert landscape, a cloud in perpetual motion or the bones of some prehistoric creature weathered by time. Floors undulate in three-dimensional forms, moving away from rigid polyhedral structures to create an experience that is felt as much as it is seen.

Among the anticipated highlights is the Levitation Void, a hypnotic space where an invisible order of energy sustains itself through environmental harmony. Here, existence is neither solid nor static, but flexible and self-repairing, reminiscent of biological life. Break it apart and it will mend itself.

Equally spellbinding is Massless Suns and Dark Suns, an interactive digital installation composed of countless spheres of light. As one reaches out, each sphere responds in a luminous cascade, triggering a ripple of interconnected radiance. Yet, within this cosmic ballet, dark spheres lurk — invisible to cameras. More details to be revealed soon, closer to opening date.

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