Children's Biennale: How the World Feels

Children's Biennale is a free outdoor exhibition for young visitors and their families at Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi. It runs from 6 November to 6 December 2026. The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation presents it through Abu Dhabi Festival, working with National Gallery Singapore, Umm Al Emarat Park and Salayel Hospitality.

The theme is How the World Feels. The works ask how children sense their surroundings by touching, listening, moving and watching light, so that a walk through the park becomes a journey of the senses. The organisers describe it as the first outdoor biennale for children in the Middle East. It forms part of the UAE's Year of Family.

Dana Almazrouei curated the exhibition. She holds a PhD in museum education and curated the fifth and sixth editions of the Sharjah Children's Biennial. Nine artists take part, with practices that include sculpture, performance and textiles. They are Alia AlShamsi, Aya Afaneh, Hana El-Sagini, Moza Almatrooshi, Moza Almazrouei, Meera Almazrooei, Nada Almosa and Sarah Afaneh, with the Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho.

Of the eight installations, seven are new commissions from UAE artists. Nada Almosa's work was made with UT-R Studio. Eko Nugroho's Memories of Fireflies is a lantern installation that draws on the damar kurung lanterns of East Java. Singapore saw it first, in 2019. Artists lead workshops on 6, 7, 13 and 14 November from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.