KAWS’ monumental Companion has touched down in Abu Dhabi—this time not floating, but stretched across the waterfront of Mina Zayed as if catching its breath while raising a glowing moon. The installation, titled KAWS:HOLIDAY Abu Dhabi and produced with long-time partner AllRightsReserved, is the latest stop in the artist’s global public-art series. The 32-meter figure is on view until January 6, 2026, anchoring Manar Abu Dhabi 2025, the citywide light-art exhibition organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
A moonlit guide along the water’s edge
Set against the Gulf’s reflective surface and the city’s skyline, the reclining Companion clasps a radiant full moon to its chest. The gesture nods to the region’s maritime past: before GPS, Gulf sailors—especially dhow crews—navigated tides by constellations and moonlight. KAWS transforms that memory into a luminous landmark. The moon’s soft glow spills across the harbor, recalling the lantern-lit atmosphere of earlier KAWS:HOLIDAY installations.
Within Manar Abu Dhabi’s wider program—spread across Jubail Island, Al Ain’s UNESCO-listed oases, and a mix of coastal and urban sites—the Companion acts as one of the exhibition’s clearest navigational markers, linking the theme “The Light Compass” to the Gulf’s historical relationship with light.
Intimacy at monumental scale
Despite its 32-meter length, the scene feels unexpectedly close. The figure’s curled arms and bent legs create a calm, grounded posture. Visitors meet it nearly at eye level along the promenade, framed by palm trees and the long horizontal line of the pier. A ring of ambient lighting surrounds the sculpture, intensifying the moon’s luminosity while embedding the piece within the fabric of Souq Al Mina.
Light as material and map
The water mirrors the moon and returns the light, absorbing the artwork into the entire waterfront. This exchange underscores Manar Abu Dhabi’s broader investigation into light, scale, and orientation. Alongside KAWS, artists including Shaikha Al Mazrou, DRIFT, Ezequiel Pini (Six N. Five), Pamela Tan, and Lachlan Turczan contribute installations that treat light as both medium and compass.
At night, the moon appears almost reachable in the Companion’s hands. Across the harbor, Abu Dhabi’s skyline flickers in parallel, reinforcing the thread that ties together the exhibition’s second edition.
