{"id":147974,"date":"2025-11-19T08:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T08:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/147974\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T08:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T08:59:14","slug":"kaws-companion-lifts-glowing-moon-along-abu-dhabis-waterfront","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/147974\/","title":{"rendered":"KAWS’ companion lifts glowing moon along abu dhabi’s waterfront"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAWS illuminates Abu Dhabi with waterfront installation<\/p>\n

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KAWS\u2019<\/a> monumental Companion lands on Abu Dhabi\u2019s waterfront, not floating this time, but stretched across the edge of Mina Zayed as if pausing between breaths, lifting a glowing moon toward the sky. The arrival of KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi, created in collaboration with long-time partner AllRightsReserved, marks the newest stop in the artist\u2019s global series of large-scale public<\/a> sculptures<\/a>. On view until January 4th, 2026, the artist\u2019s signature figure spans 32 meters in length and anchors Manar Abu Dhabi 2025, the citywide light art exhibition organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism \u2013 Abu Dhabi. Now in its second edition, Manar brings together 22 site-specific works by 15 Emirati and international artists across the emirate under the theme The Light Compass.<\/p>\n

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images courtesy of AllRightsReserved<\/p>\n

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moonlit figure becomes a guide along the water\u2019s edge<\/p>\n

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Against the reflective gulf waters and the illuminated skyline, KAWS\u2019 reclining Companion holds a radiant full moon close to its chest. Dhows, traditional sailing vessels, once relied on constellations to chart their journeys, reading tides by moonlight long before GPS. Here, that memory becomes a visual guide once again, transformed into a sculpture. The soft glow of the moon diffuses onto the water, scattering light across the harbor and echoing the lantern-lit origins of the installation\u2019s debut. Within the wider exhibition, which unfolds across Jubail Island, Al Ain\u2019s UNESCO-inscribed oases, and coastal and urban sites, Companion becomes one of the key markers linking the theme to the Gulf\u2019s ancestral relationship with light.<\/p>\n

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From the promenade, the scene feels strangely intimate despite its scale. The Companion\u2019s posture, arms curled, legs slightly bent, brings a sense of stillness rarely associated with works of this size. Visitors encounter it almost at eye level, framed by palm trees and the long horizontal sweep of the pier. The surrounding lights create a ring of illumination around the sculpture, amplifying the moon\u2019s luminosity while grounding the figure firmly within the fabric of Mina port. As one of the central works presented at Souq Al Mina, the Brooklyn-based<\/a> artist\u2019s sculpture stands apart from the installations at Jubail Island or the shaded trails of Al Ain, yet remains fully tied to Manar\u2019s<\/a> focus on orientation and spatial memory.<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
KAWS\u2019 monumental Companion lands on Abu Dhabi\u2019s waterfront<\/p>\n

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Light becomes material and map across shifting horizons<\/p>\n

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The water gathers the reflection of the moon and sends it back, turning the entire waterfront into part of the installation. In this exchange between object and environment, KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi underscores the exhibition\u2019s broader exploration of light, scale, and imagination. Across the emirate, artists including Shaikha Al Mazrou, DRIFT, Ezequiel Pini (Six N. Five), Pamela Tan, Lachlan Turczan, and others introduce parallel approaches to light as material and compass.<\/p>\n

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At night, the moon appears almost within reach, tucked neatly between Companion\u2019s hands, steady and clear. Across the harbor, the lights on the skyline of Abu Dhabi flicker in response, mirroring the artwork\u2019s luminous core and reinforcing the thread that unites Manar Abu Dhabi\u2019s second edition.<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
the sculpture lies stretched across the edge of Mina Zayed as if pausing between breaths<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
the Companion figure lifts a glowing moon toward the sky<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
created in collaboration with AllRightsReserved<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
the work spans 32 meters in length<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
KAWS\u2019 reclining Companion holds a radiant full moon close to its chest<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
the scene feels intimate despite its scale<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
the Companion\u2019s posture brings a sense of stillness<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
framed by palm trees and the long horizontal sweep of the pier<\/p>\n

\"32-meter
the surrounding lights create a ring of illumination around the sculpture<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/p>\n

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name: KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi\u2028
artist: KAWS<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0@kaws<\/a><\/p>\n

location: Souq Al Mina, Abu Dhabi, UAE<\/p>\n

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collaboration: AllRightsReserved\u2028
exhibition: Manar Abu Dhabi 2025<\/a> | @publicartabudhabi<\/a> \u2013 The Light Compass\u2028
dates: on view until January 6th, 2026\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n