The installation in the Abu Dhabi desert that moves with the wind

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There’s something magical happening right now in the Abu Dhabi desert, a spell fashioned by man and brought to fruition by nature, which changes, transforms and mutates, just like the wind does. The proponent of this magic is Jim Denevan, a contemporary American artist who celebrates the ephemeral and eternal beauty of nature.

His new installation, a living, breathing work, is located in the Abu Dhabi desert. It is made only of sand and moves with the wind and is one of the largest, most majestic and fascinating masterpieces that man has ever created in collaboration with Mother Nature.

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The new installation in the Abu Dhabi desert

Self Similarthis is the name of Jim Denevan’s latest installation, he transformed the arid desert into an open-air museum giving anyone who arrives here a truly breathtaking view. We are in Abu Dhabi, and more precisely on Fahid Island, among the sand dunes overlooking the sea.

It is here that the American artist decided to create aextraordinary work of land art, perhaps the largest ever created by man. A moving masterpiece that transforms and never remains the same as before, which reminds us of all the grandeur of Mother Nature.

Self Similar is characterized by 19 concentric circles which expand outwards and upwards. These have been recreated through hundreds of pyramids448 to be exact, which when carefully arranged – and seen from above – evoke the shape of an ephemeral and beautiful mandala.

But it is also aimmersive work, where the visitor is called to become an integral part of the artistic process. The space between the pyramids, in fact, can be explored on foot. The final sensation is that of being inside a sand labyrinth that transports you to dreamlike dimensions.

Self Similar, as we anticipated, is a living work, which mutates and transforms, just like human beings and nature. Due to wind and weather that hit the island of Fahid, in fact, the sand pyramids rise and fall, move and transform and tell of the vulnerability and strength of nature.

Self Similar, how to visit the majestic work of land art

As we anticipated, Self Similar is located on Fahid Island, in Abu Dhabi. The work is part of the Public Art Abu Dhabi programme, an inaugural event promoted by the Department of Culture and Tourism and which includes 35 opere site specific in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Self Similar will be visible and visitable until January 30, 2024. In addition to walking among the pyramids, visitors can climb two dunes that have been transformed into observation points that allow you to admire the entire landscape from above. The heart of the work, however, will allow people to contemplate geometric symmetry and its connection with nature.

Advice? Stay in the dunes until sunset. In fact, when the sun gives way to dusk, the installation transforms into a sparkling light show thanks to the presence of thousands of solar lanterns.