Designed to attract some of the biggest names in music and entertainment to Yas Island, Etihad Arena is a new state-of-the-art multi-purpose venue located on Yas Bay. The iconic arena, has been designed to accommodate large-scale and private events, offering unique flexibility with a capacity ranging from 200 to 18,000 people.
Now, a giant sculpture has popped up at the Yas Bay Waterfront in Abu Dhabi. The bronze colored sculpture has its head and hand coming out of the water. The area is an ongoing project that will soon feature a pedestrianized promenade with about 40 cafes and restaurants, plus retail outlets. A photo of the installation was shared by an Abu Dhabi resident. It drew a lot of interest as people wondered where it had come from and what it meant.
There were lots of comment on the photos; some joked about it being a sign of “bald men can swim” while the others noticed a similarity between the photos and an anime Attack on Titan. Other questioned if it was related to the country’s history of pearl diving. Information about the artwork and its artist has not been revealed.
This isn’t the first public artwork to be revealed on Yas Island. Yas Bay Waterfront property developer, Miral, revealed the artist’s name behind the huge mural on the walls of nightclub Mad. The mural , titled The Humans, is a black and white mural created by Indian-Canadian street artist Fathima Mohiuddin, also known as Fatspatrol, who grew up in the UAE.
“When you look across the wall at the different heads, you see the dreamers, the visionaries, the jokers,” she says in a video posted on Miral’s social platforms. “If you look at every human being as their own universe, they are really quite beautiful.”
Mohiuddin has painted murals all over the world including Canada, Jordan, Australia and Ireland. Miral has collaborated with Mohiuddin to create a series of seven mural all based on the theme of birds of the UAE on Yas Island. She shared the first giant bird mural called The Desert Partridge on her Instagram account.