Abu Dhabi set to open immersive art experience
Exhibition is set to become a must-visit destination for art lovers, tech enthusiasts, and curious minds alike
ABU DHABI, UAE (MNTV) – Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District will welcome its newest artistic attraction on April 18 with the grand opening of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi.
teamLab Phenomena is a groundbreaking exhibition merging art, science, and technology across a sprawling 17,000-square-meter space, according to The National.
The immersive experience, created by the globally acclaimed Japanese art collective teamLab, will feature ever-changing digital installations that engage sight, sound, and touch, ensuring no two visits are the same.
According to the group, the artworks will seamlessly integrate with the architecture, creating a fluid, boundary-defying environment.
Founded in 1998 by Toshiyuki Inoko, Shunsuke Aoki, and three other University of Tokyo engineering students, teamLab initially struggled to gain traction.
The self-described “ultra-technologists”—a multidisciplinary team of artists, programmers, engineers, and mathematicians—only found widespread success in the 2010s, as smartphones and social media amplified interest in digital art.
Their big break came in 2011, when renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami invited them to participate in the Singapore Biennale, marking their international debut.
By 2014, New York’s prestigious Pace Gallery began representing them, propelling teamLab into the global art spotlight.
teamLab’s signature style transforms entire spaces using laser projections, colorful lights, smoke machines, and reflective surfaces, creating mesmerizing, interactive environments.
Their work often explores perception, spatial boundaries, and the relationship between humans and digital landscapes.
Visitors are immersed in dynamic projections—ranging from cosmic galaxies to blooming gardens—that extend across walls, floors, and ceilings, enveloping them in a vivid, ever-shifting world.
The collective describes its exhibitions as “body-immersive,” requiring full sensory engagement. At their Tokyo exhibition, for instance, guests remove their shoes and walk barefoot across a simulated grassy field to enhance the experience.
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will be the latest addition to the group’s expanding portfolio of permanent exhibitions, which already includes locations in Tokyo, Jeddah, Macau, Singapore, and Valencia.
Their Tokyo venue, teamLab Planets, recently set a Guinness World Record as the most-visited single-artist museum, attracting over 2.5 million visitors in just one year.
Beyond Abu Dhabi, the collective continues to grow, with teamLab Borderless Hamburg scheduled to open in 2025.
Singapore remains the country with the most teamLab exhibitions outside Japan, hosting five distinct experiences.
As Abu Dhabi strengthens its position as a global cultural hub, teamLab Phenomena promises to redefine how audiences interact with art—blurring the lines between technology, nature, and human perception.
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