Abu Dhabi Music And Arts Foundation And Seoul Museum Of Art Inaugurate Landmark Exhibition Proximities, Bringing Works By 47 UAE-Based Artists From The Emirates To Korea
Under the honorary founding patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Founding Honorary Patron of Abu Dhabi Festival, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF), in collaboration with the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), has inaugurated Proximities — a first-of-its-kind and the largest major exhibition of contemporary visual arts from the UAEever presented in East Asia.
His Excellency Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Culture inaugurated the exhibition on Monday 15 December at the Seoul Museum of Art with the presence of distinguished dignitaries from both Korea and the UAE, includingKim Hea Kyung, the First Lady of Republic of Korea, His Excellency Chae Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea; Her Excellency Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), and Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival; His Excellency Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Korea; Choi Eunju, General Director of SeMA; and His Excellency Kim Tae kyun, Vice Mayor of Seoul.
His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture, said: “The opening of the Proximities exhibition embodies the UAE’s vision to build bridges of international cooperation and deepen cultural ties with friendly nations, supporting artistic exchange and the shared development of resources within the cultural and creative industries. This landmark exhibition enhances the UAE’s global presence through the largest showcase of contemporary art contemporary art from the UAE in Korea and East Asia, featuring 47 UAE-based artists whose work reflects five decades of creativity and the authenticity and identity that define Emirati artistic expression.”
H.E. added: “Our strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation affirms our shared commitment to advancing the cultural landscape of the UAE and presenting a culture that inspires the world. Through the influence of Abu Dhabi Festival’s abroad programme and its significant collaborations with leading institutions such as the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), we continue to nurture meaningful human connection and cultural dialogue.”
Her Excellency Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), and Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said: “Spanning photography, video, painting, sculpture, performance and installation, the Proximities exhibitiontraces shifts in meaning, understanding and cultural dialogue. In partnership with Seoul Museum of Art, the exhibition enhances artistic exchange between the UAE and Korea and strengthens the presence of Emirati artists on the global stage. It broadens our understanding of the role of the arts in shaping our journey towards a more progressive future through the art of storytelling, the embodiment of identities and the building of meaningful bridges of dialogue.”
Her Excellency continued: “In today’s world — a global village animated by creativity, innovation, exchange and dialogue — Proximities presents the experiences of three generations of UAE-based artists who have grown up amid the UAE’s rapidly evolving cultural landscape and contributed to its intellectual and artistic renaissance. They have remained true to the authenticity of their vision, balancing tradition and modernity while enriching regional and global conversations. In Seoul, their works gain new resonance and dimension, guided by a vision that builds civilisation and strengthens human connection.”
His Excellency Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, said: “The Proximities exhibition in Seoul, organized in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and the Seoul Museum of Art as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival, reflects the deep-rooted and close cultural ties between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Korea.
This exhibition not only showcases the richness and diversity of Emirati visual arts, but also highlights the remarkable artistic journey that has unfolded over the past five decades. By bringing together the works of pioneering figures and contemporary creators alike, it presents a comprehensive narrative of the UAE’s artistic evolution, demonstrating how our cultural expression continues to expand, mature, and inspire future generations.”
His Excellency continued: “Furthermore, the exhibition reflects the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership, which has consistently emphasized the importance of building strong bridges of cooperation with countries worldwide through cultural and creative diplomacy. It also reinforces the Special Strategic Partnership between the two nations.
By organising this exhibition, we reaffirm the UAE’s unwavering commitment to fostering cultural dialogue and strengthening communication between artists in the UAE and the Republic of Korea, supporting shared creativity and enhancing people-to-people ties through art and knowledge.”
On view until 29 March at the Seoul Museum of Art, the exhibition presents more than 110 works by 47 artists — including 33 Emirati artists — representing three generations and tracing five decades of the evolution and development of visual arts in the Emirates. Featured artists include Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi,Nujoom Al Ghanem, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Ala Younis, Rand Abdul Jabbar and Jumairy,
Proximities is part of the 23rd edition of the Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad programme, underscoring ADMAF’s commitment to fostering meaningful cultural exchange and amplifying the voices of UAEbasedartists on the global stage.
Choi Eunju, General Director of SeMA, said: “The Seoul Museum of Art is very pleased to present Proximities in close partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation. This exhibition displays the most comprehensive presentation of Emirati contemporary art ever mounted in Korea. As its title implies, Proximities offers a significant opportunity for the two nations—culturally distinct yet situated within the broader Asian cultural sphere—to transcend cultural and geographical boundaries, examine the enduring value of artistic connection, and collaboratively seek pathways for future development.We anticipate that this exchange will generate refreshing insights and inspiration across the artistic communities of both countries and contribute to further solidifying Seoul’s reputation as a hub for international artistic discourse.”
Spanning photography, video, painting, sculpture, performance and installation, the exhibition traces how meaning transforms across generations and geographies, revealing subtle shifts shaped by exchange and cultural context. The exhibition examines how different forms of proximity – human, geographic, shared cultures and narratives – inform transformations without erasing difference.
Co-curated by Maya El Khalil and Eunju Kim,Proximities unfolds through three propositions, each theme developed in partnership with guest curators, including Farah Al Qasimi, Mohammed Kazem and Cristiana de Marchi, and the artist trio Ramin Haerizadeh, RokniHaerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian (RRH). Each section offers a distinct way of encountering the world, with focal points merging and contrasting world views. The artists’ curatorial interventions create worlds into which peers and audiences are invited for reflection, dialogue and discovery.
In the first section, Farah Al Qasimi’s uncanny photographs appear amid other imagined and surreal domestic spaces, channeling a speculative picture of the Emirates from the 1990s to today. In the second, Mohammed Kazem and Cristiana de Marchi’s meditations on experiences of physical and psychological disorientation are presented alongside large-scale installations exploring memory, displacement, and belonging. Finally, in the third section, the RRH trio organise their intervention around– a square within a square – juxtaposing artefacts of nation-building, art objects from daily environments and elemental matter. In doing so, they dismantle familiar structures of imagination to reveal other possibilities. These three perspectives are articulated through works by established and emerging artists such as Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Ayman Zedani, Nujoom Al Ghanem, Layan Attari, and Vikram Divecha, and more.
The three generations of artists in the exhibition – born in the UAE and elsewhere, growing up amid and contributing to the country’s dynamic transformations – navigate between the individual and thecollective, the local and the global. They mediate the push and pull of the contemporary and the traditional, layering regional contexts with history and emergent futures.
The exhibition is complemented by a public programme featuring panel discussions with the curators and artists.
Proximities represents the second chapter of a unique three-year institutional collaboration between ADMAF and SeMA, initiated under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between ADMAF and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The collaboration brings two major co-curated and co-produced group exhibitions to Abu Dhabi and Seoul in 2025 – 2026.This long-term partnership, which began in 2024, brings together UAE and South Korea through their artists and institutions, fostering artistic dialogue and transnational understanding between the two countries. Jointly developed by ADMAF and SeMA, the two exhibitions draw from their institutional collections to explore the distinct histories and cultural paradigms of the regions, presenting shared experiences alongside perspectives on technology, media, and rapid urban development.
Alongside the two exhibitions, the collaboration between ADMAF and SeMA also features co- commissioned artworks, artist residencies, cross-institutional knowledge and experience sharing, and an ongoing public programme of panel discussions.
