Abu Dhabi: Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Founding Honorary Patron of Abu Dhabi Festival, and H.H. Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Patron of the Abu Dhabi Festival and wife of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF), in collaboration with the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), will present Proximities, a first of its kind and the largest major exhibition of Emirati visual art in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, from 16th December 2025 to 29th February 2026.

The exhibition will showcase more than 100 works by 47 artists - including 33 Emirati artists - spanning three generations and showcasing five decades of the evolution and development of Emirati visual art.

Featured artists include Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Shaikha Al Mazroui, Alaa Younis, Rand Abduljabbar, and Jumairy.

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said, “The United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Korea share a deep and enduring bond, strengthened by a flourishing partnership across diverse sectors. Among these, culture and the arts serve as a shining example, beautifully embodied in the collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) as part of Abu Dhabi Festival. This partnership reflects the shared vision of both nations’ leadership in fostering mutual understanding, cultural exchange, and building bridges of cooperation between our peoples.”

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah added, “The landmark Proximities exhibition, held at SeMA in the Korean capital and presenting 47 artists from the UAE, marks a significant chapter in the shared journey of artistic exploration and exchange within the global visual arts landscape, particularly in South and East Asia. UAE-Korean relations are rooted in decades of rich and fruitful cooperation founded upon trust, mutual respect and shared interests.”

“Through this milestone collaboration, Abu Dhabi Festival reaffirms its steadfast commitment to enhancing the UAE’s cultural presence globally, building strategic partnerships with esteemed international cultural institutions, cultivating meaningful creative dialogue, and advancing a sustainable cultural renaissance,” he concluded.

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of ADMAF and Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said, “Spanning photography, video, painting, sculpture, performance, and installation, the Proximities exhibition traces 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.”

She continued, “In today’s world - a global village animated by creativity, innovation, exchange, and dialogue - Proximities presents the experiences of three generations of Emirati 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.”

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 - cultural, geographic or shared identities and narratives - inform transformations without erasing difference.

Co-curated by Maya El Khalil and Eunju Kim, the exhibition 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, Rokni Haerizadeh 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.

Maya El Khalil, Co-Curator, said, “Proximities is an exhibition of multiple overlapping dynamics – institutional, creative, artist trios and duos, across geographies and generations. Collaborating with these idiosyncratic artist-curators, we did not attempt to translate or find equivalence; instead, we started from the idea that we each have an inherent position, but those views transform through encounter with others.

Each section is a creative proposition for ways to experience a globalised world, starting from different approaches and moving through scales, from the domestic everyday to fabulation, the abstraction of personal and collective mapping, statecraft and the elemental. These collaborations challenged our own perspectives, and we hope audiences will feel those shifts too, becoming part of the ongoing exchanges.”

Eunju Kim, Co-Curator, said, “Through Proximities, we endeavour to delve into the profound contemporary resonance of artistic exchange between Korea and the UAE – a vital space where diverse worlds converge, not merely to meet, but to truly interact and generate open imagination, productive tension, and harmonious coexistence. Our aim with this exhibition was to meticulously weave together narratives that transcend geographical and cultural distances, inviting viewers to explore the intricate tapestry of human connection through the lens of artists connected to the UAE.

I firmly believe that this collaborative initiative between the Seoul Museum of Art and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation will illuminate new pathways for nuanced dialogue and mutual understanding, enriching the cultural landscapes of both nations for years to come.”

Proximities marks the second chapter of the three-year institutional collaboration between ADMAF and the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA).

This exhibition follows the first installment, Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits, a co-curated exhibition exploring media-based practices from Korea, spanning the 1960s to the present, that opened at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi from 16th May to 30th June 2025.

Alongside the two exhibitions, the collaboration between ADMAF and SeMA also features co-commissioned artworks, artist residencies, cross-institutional knowledge sharing, and an ongoing public programme of panel discussions and performances in Abu Dhabi and Seoul.