Louvre Abu Dhabi unveils prestigious jury and six shortlisted artists for Art Here 2026
The museum and Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille have announced an international panel and selected artists for the sixth edition of the celebrated Art Here initiative, expanding the programme to include emerging talents from India alongside the GCC region.
Louvre Abu Dhabi and luxury Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille have unveiled the distinguished jury and six shortlisted artists selected for Art Here 2026, the sixth edition of the museum’s flagship contemporary art initiative. The announcement follows an exceptionally competitive selection process that garnered more than 300 proposals from across the region and beyond.
This edition marks a significant expansion for Art Here, broadening its geographic scope to encompass artists from India alongside those from the GCC countries. The curatorial framework celebrates the centuries of cultural movement, trade, migration and creative exchange that have historically shaped connections between the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Gulf.
Running from 11 November 2026 to 28 February 2027, Art Here 2026 will unfold beneath Louvre Abu Dhabi’s iconic dome, presenting the selected artists’ interpretations of the theme Confluences. The exhibition invites audiences to explore the profound connections and shared experiences that unite communities across geographies and generations. The contemporary works will be displayed across the museum’s central plaza, creating dynamic encounters between artistic practice, architecture, landscape and the institution’s universal cultural narrative.
A distinguished curatorial panel
The jury comprises four internationally respected figures from the arts and cultural sphere. H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, an accomplished art collector and patron, brings institutional expertise through his involvement with Tate’s Middle East and North Africa Acquisitions Committee, the Centre Pompidou’s Middle East Committee, and the Sharjah Art Foundation, alongside his former role as Founder and Chairman of UAE Unlimited.
Dr. Guilhem André, Director for Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, provides institutional curatorial perspective as an experienced museum art historian. Kamini Sawhney, former founding Director of the Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru and guest curator for Art Here 2026, contributes significant expertise as a distinguished museum professional and Board member of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art. Maya Allison, founding Executive Director of the Art Galleries and Chief Curator at New York University Abu Dhabi, completes the panel.
Six exceptional artists selected
The shortlisted artists represent a remarkable diversity of practice and perspective. Ahaad Alamoudi, a Saudi Arabian artist, explores history, representation and the evolution of cultural identity within rapidly transforming contexts. Almaha Jaralla, an Emirati painter, works with textile and pigment to examine the lived textures of the Gulf, investigating memory, movement and inherited histories across the Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean region.
Muhammad Shamin Sahrum, a Malaysian artist and designer based in Dubai, engages with the visual language of everyday urban experience, revealing patterns and relationships that emerge through movement and community. From India, Ravikumar Kashi is recognised for his innovative interdisciplinary artistic practice combining intellectual rigour with diverse media. Reena Kallat examines political and social borders and their impact on land, people and nature, whilst Vivek Vilasini explores structures of knowledge, politics and identity through digital and sculptural media.
Celebrating artistic innovation
Dr. Guilhem André commented: “Art Here is an important platform for contemporary artistic practice at Louvre Abu Dhabi, offering artists the opportunity to engage with the museum’s universal narrative through ambitious new commissions. This year’s shortlisted artists represent a remarkable range of approaches, materials and perspectives, each offering a distinctive reflection on the relationships that connect people, places and histories.”
Tilly Harrison, Managing Director of Richard Mille Middle East and Türkiye, reflected on the thematic significance: “Culture is never created in isolation. It evolves as different ways of seeing the world encounter and influence one another. India and the UAE each possess remarkable cultural depth, together with an openness to reinvention and the future. Art Here 2026 inhabits this space between inheritance and imagination.”
Guest curator Kamini Sawhney observed: “Reviewing the proposals has been both a joy and a learning. I was continually impressed by the breadth of approaches and the courage of the proposals received for Confluences. The six artists impressed the jury with their willingness to innovate—from fragile assemblage to immersive installation.”
The selected artists will now develop their proposals for presentation at the museum. The winner of the Richard Mille Art Prize will receive a US$60,000 award, to be announced later in the season.
Source: Abu Dhabi Media Office