AL-Monitor Dubai: Art meets science at teamLab Phenomena
This week we transport you to an immersive realm where art, technology and science meet with the opening of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi — the second Middle Eastern outpost for the Japanese art collective.
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This week we transport you to an immersive realm where art, technology and science meet with the opening of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi — the second Middle Eastern outpost for the Japanese art collective. We also introduce you to Il Gattopardo, one of Dubai’s newest restaurants, offering high-end, authentic Italian cuisine, and highlight exhibitions on Alserkal Avenue as well as an upcoming performance at the Dubai Opera.
Leading the week
The United Arab Emirates will soon get its own teamLab — the experiential, multisensory immersive art venue created by the renowned Japanese art collective by the same name. Founded in 2001 by Toshiyuki Inoko and Shunsuke Aoki in Tokyo, teamLab is known worldwide for its immersive experiences blending high-tech digital art to create alternative forms of perception. The collective’s concepts are rooted in their unique Ultra Subjective Space, a sense of spatial awareness inspired by premodern Japanese visual arts.
Following on teamLab Borderless Jeddah last year in Saudi Arabia, the art collective has chosen the UAE for its second outpost in the Middle East, launching teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi in April. Spanning 17,000 square meters, the multisensory art space will be operated by Miral Experiences, a subsidiary of Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destinations. Like teamLab venues worldwide, teamLab Phenomena features large-scale, transformative exhibitions that invite visitors to embark on a sensory-rich journey that transcends reality to take them into a realm shaped by cutting-edge technology and digital art.
TeamLab Phenomena officially opens its doors to the public April 18 in the Saadiyat Cultural District. Created within the intersection of art, science and technology, the exhibition will engage visitors’ sense of sight, touch, and sound to expand the way they connect and feel in the world around them. Instead of presenting artworks in isolation, teamLab stands apart by having them interact dynamically within an environment incorporating real-world phenomena in the artistic experience. This interplay challenges conventional perceptions, making each visit a unique and evolving encounter.
Date: April 18
Location: Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
Find more information here.
Word on the street: Il Gattopardo
Il Gattopardo in Dubai. (Courtesy of Il Gattopardo)
If you’re looking for a high-end Italian dining experience, Il Gattopardo is the place for you. Located in the sleek, prismatic ICD Brookfield Place in downtown Dubai, this stylish restaurant takes its name — which is Italian for “leopard” — from the famous novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, set in 1860s Sicily during Italy’s unification.
Perched on the 51st floor, the new eatery was conceived by the team behind Coya, Zuma and Amazonico, all top-notch international restaurants in their own right. Its floor-to-ceiling glass windows offer breathtaking panoramic views of Dubai’s skyline to complement the refined dining experience. Originating in Mayfair, London, the restaurant brings authentic Italian cuisine to Dubai in a 1960s-style interior reminiscent of the Italian Riviera, with accents from southern Italy.
Among the must-try dishes is a selection of delicious fresh pastas, including the sorrentina — homemade gnocchi with tomato, fresh basil, and mozzarella. There’s also the particularly zesty lobster linguine and the roasted pumpkin ravioli. Be sure to wrap up your meal with some tiramisu or a coppa gelato, combining espresso ganache, hazelnut and vanilla ice cream.
Location: ICD Brookfield Place, downtown Dubai
Find more information here.
Dubai diary
Amirhossein Bayani, “Canoe No. 2,” oil on canvas, 150 x 180cm, 2023. (Courtesy the artist and Zawyeh Gallery)
"The Season of Ruin’s Remembrance" by Amirhossein Bayani
Amirhossein Bayani presents a collection of his vibrantly colored and meticulously detailed paintings in this solo exhibition at the Zawyeh Gallery, on Alserkal Avenue. The Iranian artist’s captivating works explore themes of immigration, life, and freedom with a strong focus on the challenges facing women today.
“The Season of Ruin’s Remembrance,” his latest series, evokes the aesthetics of traditional landscape painting, yet is charged with emotion, reflecting struggles for a more tranquil and harmonious future. Of note is how each of the paintings is inspired by a real-life story of an Iranian woman who lost her life fighting for freedom. Bayani pays tribute to these women by depicting them as statue-like figures or ethereal spirits, seamlessly woven into the natural landscape.
Date: Until April 6
Location: Zawyeh Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Warehouse 27
Find more information here.
"Four Birds One Soul" by Melis Buyruk
A solo exhibition by the Turkish artist Melis Buyruk is currently on view at the Leila Heller Gallery, on Alserkal Avenue, showcasing her unique porcelain sculptures inspired by the story of the four birds from the fifth book of the Masnavi, the extensive poem by the Persian Sufi poet Rumi. Each of Buyruk’s mesmerizing forms explores the fragility of the human condition while also reflecting the potential for transcendence and resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Like Masnavi, the works also examine the complexities of the natural world and the human spirit. Delicately crafted yet inherently strong, Buyruk’s sculptures — predominantly white porcelain forms representing flowers, thorns, and other organic elements — merge to create new, talisman-like objects
Date: Until March 2
Location: Leila Heller Gallery, Alserkal Avenue
Find more information here.
"A Plastic Theatre" album launch concert at the Dubai Opera
On March 8, the Dubai Opera hosts an evening with the British composer Joanna Marsh. Presented by the entertainment and production agency The Fridge, this one-night-only performance marks the launch of "A Plastic Theatre," Marsh’s powerful new album exploring humanity's relationship to the natural world.
Taking place on International Women's Day, the performance sees Marsh join forces with the Nabra Chamber Choir, a new ensemble under the musical direction of Rob Johnston that brings together the region’s finest voices.
Date: March 8
Location: Dubai Opera, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Blvd.
Find more information here.
Book of the week: “Dubai Wonder”
This beautiful tome showcases the wonder that is Dubai. Written by Myrna Ayad as part of Assouline’s travel series, it charts the port city’s rise from its humble beginnings as a pearl-diving center and desert oasis to a major hub for business and innovation that has made it one of the most important cities in today’s Middle East. Breathtaking images and eloquent text capture the ever-expanding city’s futuristic skyline, with its major hotels and restaurants, and highlights artistic districts, such as Alserkal Avenue, and the people who give the city its energy and pioneering spirit.
View from Dubai
Scene from a Suhoor Strolls event in Dubai. (Courtesy of Gulf Photo Plus)
During the holy month of Ramadan, Gulf Photo Plus will host its fifth edition of Suhoor Strolls, a series of evening gatherings during Suhoor where visitors can practice photography while enjoying food, taking in culture and learning about the UAE.
In Islam, “suhoor” refers to dawn, and therefore also to the predawn meal during Ramadan. In the UAE, suhoor also refers to the late night activities after iftar (the post-sunset meal), which both observant Muslims and non-Muslims, including expats, partake in during Ramadan. For the Suhoor Strolls, participants can register to meet at Gulf Photo Plus’s space on Alserkal Avenue and discuss and practice photography, sharing insights and techniques while taking photographs with cameras and smartphones on a popular nighttime walk, along the way enjoying food and conversation about UAE culture and heritage.
Date: March 2, 12, 16 and 27
Location: Gulf Photo Plus, Alserkal Avenue
Find more information and book a session here.
By the numbers
- The UAE is home to more than 40 million date palm trees, making it the world’s fourth- largest date producer, accounting for 12% of global production, according to Emirates Nature.
- The date palm consists of over 1,500 varieties.
- The date palm is one of the oldest fruit trees and is believed to have sprouted more than 10,000 years ago.
