Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF), announced the winning project of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2026 (14th edition). The award goes to two artists: Noura Jaber (NYUAD alumna, class of 2024) and Mufida Muhieddin (University of Sharjah alumna, class of 2024).
The multidisciplinary work explores archaeology, material culture, and the relationship between communities and their environments. Titled Relics of Everyday Life, it examines the impact of archaeological interpretation on cultural memory and our understanding of the past.
The installation is inspired by the prehistoric site of Tell Abraq, located between Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah. Its content speaks to how communal and local environmental knowledge, as well as contemporary ways of life, can contribute to the interpretation of artefacts and historical sites.
The work centres on the form of a fishing hook partially buried in the ground — a tool that was widely used at Tell Abraq thousands of years ago. It draws connections between ancient and contemporary relationships with the sea, spotlighting the ordinary tools that reveal how communities lived, worked, and interacted with their surroundings. Through this approach, the project invites the public to reflect on how meaning is ascribed to historical objects and on the parties that shape our understanding of cultural heritage.
Huda Ibrahim Al Khamis, founder of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, said: