TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi opens to the public on 18 April 2025: If you love immersive art, get goosebumps looking at ethereal light installations, or just want to spend a few hours in an alien-like, otherworldly space, mark your calendar, as this is set to be one of the most talked-about cultural experiences of the year.
In short: a mind-bending, multi-sensory experience from the Japan-based collective teamLab, known for turning light, sound, air and water into living, breathing installations. From Tokyo and Jeddah to Singapore and Macao – and now Abu Dhabi – teamLab's digital wonderlands are not your typical galleries. Spread across a purpose-built 17,000 square metre sinuous structure on Saadiyat Island, the labyrinth-like space features a series of ever-evolving artworks that blur the lines between art and environment. You don’t just get to look – you walk through it, touch it, and in some cases, trigger it.
Each piece in the space is designed around teamLab’s concept of “Environmental Phenomena,” where the work isn’t an object on display but a living experience shaped by its surroundings (and sometimes your very own self). That means every visit is a little bit different.
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You'll find teamLab Phenomena in the Saadiyat Cultural District, right alongside big names like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
18 April 2025 is opening day for the public.
teamLab Phenomena is open daily from 10am-7pm, you will have to select a suitable entry time slot. The space is designed for all-day exploration, but this is the kind of place you’ll want to linger in – so plan ahead.
Tickets for teamLab Phenomena start at AED 50 for children (ages 4–12), AED 115 for youth (13–17), and AED 150 for adults (18 and above) via teamlababudhabi.com. It’s worth booking early, especially if you're planning to visit in the opening weeks when crowds are likely.
This is more than a pretty lights-and-sound show. It’s a glimpse into how art and technology can merge to create something profoundly human – something that shifts your awareness of space, time, and yourself. As teamLab founder Toshiyuki Inoko puts it, “Existence will be freed from matter.” You’ll just have to see it to believe it.
Expect to be surprised. You’ll step into a darkened, atmospheric space that unfolds into a sequence of “dry” and “wet” installations that change based on your presence and interaction. Think light that responds to your movement, voids that levitate and pulse, and a sensory experience that feels part dream, part science fiction. While there are many works to see/feel – here are some that left us in awe.
Pathways throughout the exhibition shift in form and energy – one guided by wind-like motion and drawn lines, the other by blinking dots of light, each following its own unique rhythm. A towering space resembling an infinite forest features tree trunk-like columns that react to movement, while elsewhere, a field of dynamic “light sculptures” made of converging beams creates a completely new kind of sculptural experience.
In one playful room, visitors become part of the artwork itself, interacting with floating, foil-like balloons that respond to the slightest environmental shift. A calligraphy-inspired work explores the continuity of existence through fluid, ever-changing forms, while a water garden (you will be asked to remove your shoes here, and we advise wearing knee-length clothes) glows with interactive ‘ovoids’ – giant egg-like creations – that light up and chime when touched.
Elsewhere, a collaborative ecosystem comes to life with creatures drawn by visitors, blending creativity and code in real time. One of the most awe-inducing areas involves walking over a suspended net within a massive sphere, where hundreds and thousands of nature-inspired images move as if part of a single living presence. There’s also a serene tea room filled with floating lamps that respond to visitors in spontaneous harmony.
The most recommended teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi experience is the Levitation Void - At the centre of a massive space, dimly lit in red, floats a mysterious void – literally hovering. It drifts freely as if alive, responding to the number of people in the space, only to slowly return to its original position. It’s a surreal moment that feels both alien and oddly poetic.
And while all of it is genuinely enjoyable, what really sticks with you is the feeling of “how the heck did they even make that happen? ” The scale, the precision, the almost meditative calm of it all – it’s the kind of experience that quietly blows your mind.
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