Still, as Alkhamis-Kanoo emphasizes, the real transformation runs deeper. An entirely new group of artists, cultural leaders, collectors and audiences is emerging. This shift is especially visible during Abu Dhabi Art, the capital’s annual contemporary art fair. “The conversations moving through the galleries, the diversity of attendees, the energy—all indicate that art is here to stay and is taking root.”
As this process gives rise to authentic artistic voices and nurtures a new generation of collectors and enthusiasts, it positions the U.A.E.’s cultural scene to engage meaningfully on the global stage. Despite its ancient roots, U.A.E.’s artists, musicians and cultural producers still need guidance to engage on an international level. “They need opportunities to showcase their work or support to professionalize, and we provide that,” says Alkhamis-Kanoo.
ADMAF also plays a key role as a cultural engine for diplomacy, linking the local scene with the international one. “Much of what we do brings our story—that of Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E.—to the world, while inviting the world to Abu Dhabi,” she explains. “Of course, ADMAF doesn’t shape foreign policy, but we build on the conversations our country has with the rest of the world, and create spaces where cultural exchange can flourish in meaningful ways.”
At the end of June, ADMAF closed “Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits,” a collaborative exhibition with SeMA (the Seoul Museum of Art), showcasing a rare model of co-curation and co-creation between the two countries and institutions. “Our creativity and responsiveness build on the strength of the U.A.E.’s diplomacy,” she reflects, “offering cultural pathways that traditional diplomacy alone cannot achieve.”
At every level, culture anchors the U.A.E.’s vision
According to Alkhamis-Kanoo, sustained investment in culture—both public and private—is transforming how people in the U.A.E. perceive the future. Culture and the arts have become deeply integrated into the national agenda. “Our national horizon is no longer defined by oil or finance. We are shifting to a knowledge-based economy.”
“Steve Jobs, for example, didn’t spend his weekends coding—he read, visited galleries and watched films. That elevation of art inspired breakthroughs like the iPhone and the iPad. Today, it’s widely accepted that you can’t build the next A.I. unicorn without culture. Twenty years ago, making that case was an uphill battle. Now, it’s a given.”
Alkhamis-Kanoo sees the U.A.E. becoming more attuned to curiosity, exploration and discovery. The result is not only a strong return on cultural and educational investment but also new forms of social cohesion. “It is no small challenge to build a harmonious society made up of so many cultures,” she says. “The same diversity that drives our economy could easily have led to friction. But by making culture accessible, we’ve fostered inter-cultural dialogue that creates empathy, mutual understanding and social harmony.”
Contributing to the Gulf’s broader cultural transformation
As the Middle East rises as a cultural powerhouse, Alkhamis-Kanoo says ADMAF’s next decade will be devoted to safeguarding and amplifying the region’s artistic legacy. While high-profile projects are sometimes dismissed as mere ambition, she insists the foundation approaches culture as a duty to the present and to future generations. “We must tell our own stories, or others will tell them for us.”
She believes ADMAF’s mission must expand to create new opportunities by weaving a stronger pan-Arab ecosystem of artistic voices beyond Abu Dhabi and in major international and regional institutions. “The future lies in collaboration,” she says. “Just as we’ve partnered with global institutions, we will now work hand-in-hand with our nearest neighbors, because the world is turning to the Middle East not just to invest but to cooperate, learn and create possibilities together.”
In that spirit, ADMAF recently signed an MOU with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, forging a strategic alliance to advance artistic excellence across the Arab world. “Two respected organizations have chosen cooperation over competition and pollination over duplication,” she says, adding that the organization will keep growing regional collaborations as more cultural institutions—both long-standing and newly emerging—take root. “The Arab world has an incredible story to share, and I can’t wait to see ADMAF work alongside our partners to bring that story to the world.”
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