Events

Prada Mode Abu Dhabi

11-12 February: members only

13-14 February: open to public upon registration

MiZa

Prada presented the eleventh iteration of Prada Mode at the MiZa neighbourhood in Mina Zayed, in Abu Dhabi, on February 11 and 12, 2025. The event represented Prada’s latest collaboration and third iteration of Prada Mode with renowned multidisciplinary artist Theaster Gates. A reaffirmation of the minimal and analogue amidst the contemporary cultural dominance of technology and AI, the space exhibited a manifestation of duality, rooted in ideas of elegant austerity, historic craft, and sacred immediacy.

The first day featured two conversations: “Honoring Tradition, Celebrating Modernity” with visual artists Zara Mahmood and Moza Almatrooshi, and designer Omar Al Gurg, moderated by Myrna Ayadn, blending tradition with modernity in artistic practices; “We Built this City” with Theaster Gates, visual artist Vikram Divecha, and botanical curator Zain Masud, moderated by Myrna Ayadand, on urban development. Guests participated in an Al-Sadu weaving workshop and enjoyed a live musical performance by Egyptian artist Nancy Mounir. The evening concluded with a DJ set by Yas Meen Selectress and a party featuring performances by Seera and DJ Nooriyah.

The second day featured a diverse cultural program. It included two discussions: “The Power of the Matriarch” by specialist in cultural diplomacy Dalia Abuhassan, poet, visual artist, and filmmaker Nujoom Alghanem, and curator Reem Fadda, moderated by cultural practitioner Maria Mumtaz, on the role of matriarchs in Arab and Asian communities; “The Grace of Bodily Gestures” with visual artists Marwah AlMugait and Afra Al Dhaheri, spoken word poet Afra Atiq, and opera singer Fatima Alhashmi, moderated by cultural practitioner Faisal Al Hassan, on the influence of the body in artistic practices. The day also featured an Al-Sadu weaving workshop, live musical performance by musicians of Noura Mint Seymali x Aïta Mon Amour, and evening performances by Nour and DJ Deena Abdelwahed.

For the occasion, MiZa offered two tonally and sonically distinct experiences through architectural intervention. Anchored in the format of a circle within a square, a cylindrical structure situated in the middle of the space created a boundary between the realms, dividing the room in two.

About Theaster Gates

Theaster Gates lives and works in Chicago where he creates work that focuses on space theory and land development, sculpture and performance. In 2010, Gates created the Rebuild Foundation, a non-profit platform aimed at galvanizing communities through neighborhood regeneration and the development of educational and arts programming and amenities. Drawing on his background in urban planning and preservation, Gates is Known for his recirculation of art-world capital, and creates works with a focus on the possibility of the “life within things.” Gates smartly upturns art values, land values, and human values, engaging deeply with the idea of Black space as shaped by collective desire and artistic agency.

Gates has exhibited widely, including prestigious venues such as Palais de Tokyo in Paris and Sprengel Museum in Germany. His awards include the Artes Mundi 6 prize, the Légion d'Honneur, and the Nasher Prize for Sculpture. He is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Visual Arts and holds multiple advisory roles, including Director of Artists Initiatives at the Lunder Institute for American Art. Gates continues to influence cultural innovation through his work and teaching. The artist has previously collaborated with Prada on several projects, including Prada Mode Miami in 2018 and Prada Mode London in 2019.