- ARAB NEWS
- 23 Nov 2025
Since 1975
DUBAI: Louvre Abu Dhabi and luxury Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille kicked off the fifth edition of its Art Here exhibition on Thursday, spotlighting Japanese artists for the first time.
Taking place until Dec. 28, Art Here 2025 welcomed 400 proposals but only six artworks from seven artists based in Japan and the GCC were selected.
Curated by Swiss-Japanese curator Sophie Mayuko Arni, the exhibition follows the theme ‘Shadows’ as artists explore the interplay between light and absence with pieces located within the museum’s outdoor area.
“Shadows is a broad, aesthetic concept that allowed for different interpretations,” the curator said. “Shadows, as explored, are not just visual effects. They are emotional, architectural, and philosophical spaces. No shadow can ever truly be the same.”
“I think this exhibition solidifies the existing cultural ties between the UAE and Japan,” Arni told Arab News Japan. “It opens up new avenues for artistic exchange. I think the UAE art scene has so much to learn from Japan and vice versa.”
Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, reaffirmed Arni’s thoughts, saying, “Art Here 2025 deepens our dialogue with artists locally and internationally, and for the first time, Japan, reaffirming our commitment to building bridges of creativity across cultures.”
The finalists were chosen by a five-member jury that includes, but is not limited to, Arni; Guilhem André, Director of the Scientific, Curatorial, and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi; and Yuko Hasegawa, Research Professor at the Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University and former Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
“The reason we picked Shadows as a concept is because it resonates with both cultures,” André told Arab News Japan. “All the artworks are very specific and (we recieved) different responses from the original idea.
“I think the Japanese art scene is very interesting,” he continued. “It pushes boundaries. It is the first time we have so much technology outdoors, so the Japanese art scene is a model of success in contemporary art.”
Art Here features the works of the Japanese artists below:
“Skadw” is an eight-minute immersive audiovisual installation that explores the depth of shadows in an abstract form.
The work begins with a strong light that enters the space that slowly becomes illuminated with fog. Paired with synchronized sound, the fog slowly thickens, creating different shadows.
As the fog thickens, it transitions into various colors, highlighting the shadows created from light. The installation concludes with light flashing quickly before ending abruptly, impressing the guests with the beauty of the unseen shadows.
The installation takes inspiration from the concept “Ma,” a concept in Japanese art that highlights the usage and beauty of negative space.
“The works are not intended to convey specific information or messages,” Kurokawa told Arab News Japan. “Instead, I aim for viewers to immerse themselves in the sound and light, freely interpreting the space.”
The self-taught artist started creating computer graphics in his early days before integrating sound into his works.
“Both video and sound are arts that deal with time, and in a data-handling environment, they share many commonalities. I see this as a natural progression, leading me inevitably to the audiovisual format,” he said.
He is currently working on creating a multi-screen audiovisual installation using data provided by several scientific institutions. He added that one of his older works is also scheduled to be exhibited in Saudi Arabia soon.
The Japanese-Moroccan duo reimagine traditional architectural works in a breathtaking pavilion made of woven stainless steel made from recycled industrial material.
The columns of the pavilion gently sway according to the wind, constantly creating shadows according to the weather.
“We wanted the visitors to experience shadows that can be different everyday,” the duo shared. “Visitors can come here continuously and experience different things.”
“We want to showcase architecture that actually moves, where we can experience the patterns through our intuition, not through mathematics,” they added.
Located on a rooftop next to the backdrop of the museum, “A Sundial for the Night Without End” consists of polished sundials made out of stainless steel that reimagine the world after the sun’s death.
Each sundial reflects its surroundings while aligning three gnomons to past, present, and future North Stars.
“Since it’s a circular piece, I want people to walk around it in circles, going round and round. In terms of function, it’s an original sundial. However, it cannot measure time. It visualizes the Earth’s precession,” the artist told Arab News Japan.
“Three axes point toward three stars: the current North Star, the past North Star (Thuban, known in Japan as “Orochi,” the giant serpent), and the future North Star (Vega). In tens of thousands of years, Vega will become the North Star. Thus, this work is cosmic conceptual art,” he added.
Fuse shared that his work reflects how short humans’ lives are. “The universe is vast, and our lives are short. Not just this time, but I always aim to express the brevity and smallness of human existence.”
“I’d be happy if (this work) became a catalyst for each person to sense their own “beautiful world.” Art is always something that yearns for world peace,” he shared.
The artist is currently working on a book that discusses the loneliness stemmed from social media. “It’s about a new kind of loneliness,” he said. “I’m not discussing lonely artists or Japan’s hikikomori phenomenon… It is more about “Can artworks create loneliness?” I believe sitting in front of this sundial and gazing at it will help you understand that.”
Other artists exhibiting in Art Here include Hamra Abbas with 31 stone inlay sculptures titled “Tree Studies,” Palestinian artist Ahmed Alaqra with acrylic cubes containing 3D-printed shapes from shadow photographs of Sharjah titled “I remember a light,” and Emirati artist Jumairy with an interactive light installation that reimagines the myth of Echo and Narcissus titled “Echo.”
The winner of Art Here 2025 will be announced in December.
The Louvre is located on Saadiyat Island and is open from Tuesday until Sunday.
