In 2026, I visited Abu Dhabi for the first time. I was drawn not only by the chance to explore a new place, but also by the opportunity to see architecture created by leading global architects. One of the main goals of the trip was the Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel.
I knew about the museum in advance and had an idea of what to expect. But reality is always stronger than photographs.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is difficult to perceive as an ordinary museum. For me, it is above all an architectural space where light, water, geometry, and scale exist as a single whole. It is impossible to single out one element. The strength of the project lies precisely in how all the elements interact with one another.
On my first visit, I walked through the exhibition as expected. But I soon caught myself thinking that I was looking far more often at the museum's architecture itself than at the artworks on display. At the light. At the reflections in the water. At the transitions between open and enclosed spaces.
What I remember most vividly was the central area beneath the dome and the space by the water near the amphitheater. There, I simply wanted to stop and look.
After the first visit, I immediately wanted to return.
The second time, I came not for the exhibition. I wanted to walk around the museum once more, study the architecture closely, and take photographs. For several hours, I simply wandered the grounds, watching how the light transformed the space and how the water turned the architecture into a system of reflections. Places like this hold particular value for me.
Later, I created two paintings based on the photographs I took at the museum.
At one point, I even felt as though I was inside my own paintings. The pure geometry, the water, the minimalism, the interplay with light, and the sense of open space resonated in a remarkable way with what has long been present in my own artistic practice.
Saadiyat Island is gradually becoming one of the most interesting destinations for those who love contemporary architecture. Soon, the Guggenheim Museum will open here — another world-class project I am eagerly anticipating.
And perhaps that is the best reason to visit the country again.
