KAWS illuminates Abu Dhabi with waterfront installation
KAWS’ monumental Companion lands on Abu Dhabi’s 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’s global series of large-scale public sculptures. On view until January 4th, 2026, the artist’s 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 – 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.
images courtesy of AllRightsReserved
moonlit figure becomes a guide along the water’s edge
Against the reflective gulf waters and the illuminated skyline, KAWS’ 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’s debut. Within the wider exhibition, which unfolds across Jubail Island, Al Ain’s UNESCO-inscribed oases, and coastal and urban sites, Companion becomes one of the key markers linking the theme to the Gulf’s ancestral relationship with light.
From the promenade, the scene feels strangely intimate despite its scale. The Companion’s 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’s 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 artist’s sculpture stands apart from the installations at Jubail Island or the shaded trails of Al Ain, yet remains fully tied to Manar’s focus on orientation and spatial memory.
KAWS’ monumental Companion lands on Abu Dhabi’s waterfront
Light becomes material and map across shifting horizons
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’s 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.
At night, the moon appears almost within reach, tucked neatly between Companion’s hands, steady and clear. Across the harbor, the lights on the skyline of Abu Dhabi flicker in response, mirroring the artwork’s luminous core and reinforcing the thread that unites Manar Abu Dhabi’s second edition.
the sculpture lies stretched across the edge of Mina Zayed as if pausing between breaths
the Companion figure lifts a glowing moon toward the sky
created in collaboration with AllRightsReserved
the work spans 32 meters in length
KAWS’ reclining Companion holds a radiant full moon close to its chest
the scene feels intimate despite its scale
the Companion’s posture brings a sense of stillness
framed by palm trees and the long horizontal sweep of the pier
the surrounding lights create a ring of illumination around the sculpture
project info:
name: KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi
artist: KAWS | @kaws
location: Souq Al Mina, Abu Dhabi, UAE
collaboration: AllRightsReserved
exhibition: Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 | @publicartabudhabi – The Light Compass
dates: on view until January 6th, 2026
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