The Special Olympics Garden is a project created by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Art and the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019. The Garden, a permanent exhibition at Manarat Al Saadiyat, features six commissions by esteemed creatives to pay tribute to the first Special Olympics World Games in the Middle East and North Africa region. The event included 7,500+ athletes competing in 24 Olympic-style sports and 3,000+ coaches representing more than 190 countries.
The works on display in the Garden were produced by Lebanese-American artist Etel Adnan, Korean artist Noh Jun, Turkish artist Mehmet Ali Uysal, Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, Lebanese artist Nadim Karam, and Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou.
Etel Adnan’s exhibited art piece is a mural made of ceramic tile. Noh Jun has created a series of sculptures: playful characters at the centre of which stand a young boy and girl holding the Flame of Hope. Mehmet Ali Uysal is represented by his Affinity sculpture, a mirrored bridge crossing over a stainless steel lake. Wael Shawky has made a carved, wooden wall that features depictions of cities and people as well as a crocodile-like figure.
Meanwhile, Grasping the World by Nadim Karam, a stainless steel sculpture of two anthropomorphic figures, aims to evoke acceptance and mutual support while focusing on the importance of the dream as the primary impetus for courage and endeavour. Pascale Marthine Tayou‘s piece on display in the Garden is Plastic Tree: tree branches growing horizontally from a wall and sprouting colourful plastic bags instead of leaves. The work inverts the usual experience and traditional relationship we have with trees.
Speaking about the Special Olympics Garden initiative back then, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, stated: “[…] We are honoured to support and partner with the Special Olympics World Games to further promote the values of inclusion and acceptance in our society. The artworks in [the] Garden have been specially commissioned to represent these values […].”
If you are interested in exploring public art in Abu Dhabi and would like to know where to find other great works, we recommend that you read our article about stunning public murals in the city.
