Skyward, a meditative installation for Manar Abu Dhabi 2025
Skyward by Ezequiel Pini, known as Six N. Five, rises from the landscape of Jubail Island as part of Manar Abu Dhabi 2025, forming a moment of quiet presence within the desert.
Commissioned by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, the installation represents a defining point in the artist’s practice, built around a dialogue between geological weight, atmospheric movement and the human tendency to look beyond what is immediate.
The work brings together a 10.5-ton stone sourced from Ras al-Khaimah and a reflective plane positioned at an incline, establishing a relationship between ground, horizon and vast sky.
The stone, shaped by extensive manual refinement, carries the imprint of time and labor. It acts as the anchor of the Skyward installation, setting a pace that feels older than the surrounding terrain.
Its surface holds traces of erosion and tool-work, forming a tactile counterpoint to the mirrored structure beside it. This second component, engineered with precision, registers every shift in light and motion.
Clouds, passing birds, human silhouettes and constellations drift across it, creating an ever-changing composition that responds to the cycles of the day.
The artist designed Skyward as an invitation toward stillness and upward attention. As daylight changes, the reflective plane becomes a screen that frames the desert sky from new angles.
At sunrise it receives soft tones; by afternoon it catches the stark luminosity of the region; at night it aligns with programmed LED points that echo the positions of visible stars.
The result is a layered encounter in which the landscape is not merely observed but reoriented through the installation’s geometry.
Within the wider context of Manar Abu Dhabi 2025, Skyward sits among a constellation of public artworks shaped around light, terrain and human presence.
The piece contributes a contemplative dimension to the program, drawing visitors into a moment that feels both intimate and expansive.
Rather than imposing itself on the site, it heightens awareness of what is already present: the silent mass of stone, the openness of the desert and the immense canopy above.
As visitors approach, their image briefly occupies the mirror, connecting their body to the environment without distraction.
The work does not attempt spectacle; instead, it sets conditions for attention to shift, for the sky to become a point of orientation, and for the ancient stone to act as a reminder of continuity.
Skyward suggests that the connection between earth and cosmos can be felt in a simple upward gaze and in the recognition of one’s position between matter and light.
All images courtesy of Six N. Five, shared with permission
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