Six artworks by seven artists have been selected for this year’s edition of Art Here at Louvre Abu Dhabi, an annual exhibition presented in collaboration with Richard Mille.
Set to open on 11 October and run through to 28 December, Art Here will return beneath the museum’s iconic dome with large-scale installations shaped around the theme of Shadows. A winner will be selected from the shortlisted artists who will be the recipient of this year’s Richard Mille Art Prize.
Now in its fifth year, the platform invites artists from across the Gulf, Japan, and the wider MENA region to respond to ideas of concealment and clarity, memory and transformation.
Selected from more than 400 proposals, this year’s shortlist are: Ahmed Al-Aqra, Jumairy, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Hamra Abbas, Rintaro Fuse, and Yokomae et Bouayad, an architectural duo consisting of Takuma Yokomae and Dr. Ghali Bouayad.
Together, the artists offer a range of critical perspectives, exploring cultural identity, technology, and spatial storytelling.
The exhibition is curated by Swiss-Japanese curator Sophie Mayuko Arni founder of Global Art Daily, a Digital publication for Arab and Asian contemporary art.
She described the process of narrowing down the shortlist as a “very difficult task,” but noted that the theme allowed for a wide spectrum of responses across disciplines and mediums.
“The theme of Shadows allowed for wide interpretations of outdoor installations, and the sheer number of proposals received speaks volumes about the relevance of Art Here and the Richard Mille Art Prize at Louvre Abu Dhabi,” she said.
“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.”
The 2025 jury includes a cross-cultural mix of art leaders: H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, patron of the arts and 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, Executive Director of The NYUAD Art Gallery; Yuko Hasegawa, Japanese curator and professor at Kyoto University, and Sophie Mayuko Arni, curator of Art Here 2025.
Commenting on the initiative, Louvre Abu Dhabi Director Manuel Rabaté mentioned that the number and quality of submissions reflected a growing regional momentum.
“This announcement reaffirms Louvre Abu Dhabi's commitment to championing contemporary art and fostering creative exchange across borders, rooted within the dynamic cultural landscape of Saadiyat Cultural District,” he said.
Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille EMEA, echoed the sentiment.
“The expansion into Japan reflects our shared vision to build meaningful connections between artists and audiences across different contexts,” he said.
“The quality and thoughtfulness of this year’s proposals show a growing maturity in the regional and global art scene.”
As the selected artists prepare to develop their final works, Art Here 2025 marks a new phase in the museum’s curatorial vision, one that continues to expand across geographies while remaining grounded in critical, site-responsive practice.
Here’s a closer look at the shortlisted artists and their practices.
Ahmed Al-Aqra
Palestinian artist, architect, and curator Ahmed Al-Aqra’s work examines how public space is shaped through visual and material language. Using photography, text, installation, and archives, he challenges dominant narratives by focusing on unmaking and unlearning. He co-founded Fana' Collective and El-Gorfeh, Palestine's first community darkroom-both, and is a current fellow of the Arab Documentary Photography Program.
Jumairy
Jumairy is an Emirati artist and musician whose immersive digital performances blur the line between reality and imagined worlds. Working with sound, film, and technology, he creates sensory experiences that unfold across stages, screens, and apps. His genre-blending music and performative works explore psychological states, personal trauma, and collective memory through experimental, often ritualistic forms.
Ryoichi Kurokawa
Ryoichi Kurokawa is a Japanese audiovisual artist and composer known for multi-sensory installations that merge abstract visuals with experimental sound. Using scientific data and natural phenomena, he transforms complex patterns into precise, meditative environments. His work explores time, perception, and chaos, balancing digital structure with organic flow to create multisensory experiences that push the boundaries of audiovisual art.
Hamra Abbas
Pakistan-born, UAE-based artist Hamra Abbas’ multidisciplinary practice blends traditional Islamic motifs with contemporary themes of gender, faith, and ecology. Influenced by her time in Berlin, Boston, and Lahore, her work has evolved to include marble inlay and garden imagery, reflecting a deeper connection to place, nature, and the complexities of cultural memory.
Rintaro Fuse
Rintaro Fuse is a Japanese artist working across painting, film, and poetry whose work explores loneliness, intimacy, and digital disconnection in the smartphone age. Using mediums like VR, video, poetry, and web platforms, he investigates how technology shapes our sense of presence and absence. A Tokyo University of the Arts graduate, he was named to Forbes Japan’s 30 Under 30 list in 2024.
Yokomae et Bouayad
Yokomae et Bouayad is an architectural duo formed by Takuma Yokomae from Japan and Dr. Ghali Bouayad from Morocco. Their collaborative practice merges architectural traditions from Tokyo and Marrakesh, balancing logic and intuition to create spaces grounded in place, proportion, and atmosphere. Working across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, their projects span scenographies, collective housing, and schools.