E-Paper
Sign In
Thu, Jan 22, 2026 | Shaban 3, 1447 | Fajr 05:45 | DXB 
18.1°C
iPhone | iPad
Android
Dubai: ‘Rivers of art’ flow through the desert in 10km immersive artwork
The project will have Clio House as the circular structure marking the end of the journey, offering panoramic desert views and housing a library, café, and restaurant for visitors to unwind
Dubai’s desert is set to become home to a 10-kilometre immersive artwork that will stretch across the sand like rivers flowing towards a single destination, which is a circular structure called Clio House.
The project is planned as a long journey rather than a single site. Visitors will walk through a series of large artworks spread across the desert. Each path moves forward like a river, gradually guiding people towards the centre of the experience.
Recommended For You
“The architecture is not the starting point. It is the end point,” said Matteo Antonelli, the architect behind the project.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
“You begin outside, in the desert, and you arrive through different artwork paths. All these paths flow like rivers and meet under one circle, and that is the main building,” added Antonelli.
Antonelli said the idea came from observing the desert itself. “When you are in the desert, the relationship between the ground and the sky is very strong, and the sun connects them,” he said.
“That made me think about the desert’s ancient architecture, like tents and simple towers, and how to reinterpret that feeling in a contemporary way.”
At the heart of the project is the circle, a shape Antonelli said that has no edge and no hierarchy. “The circle is continuous. Metaphorically, it means everyone is the same. You can take different paths in life but still reach the same goal.”
Clio House, the circular structure at the centre, will sit at the end of the 10 km journey. From its top level, visitors will be able to turn in a full 360-degree view, looking out across the desert and back over the artwork paths behind them.
“There will be a large promenade where people can walk, turn around, and see the vastness of the desert. You feel freedom there,” said Antonelli.
The building will also include a library, cafe and restaurant, creating a quiet place for people to sit, read, talk or rest. “It’s important to feel peace when you are facing something as powerful as the desert,” he said.
The artwork is being created by Agron Hoti, who is known for working at very large scales. But he said that even by his standards, this artwork will be different.
According to Hoti, smaller paintings always felt limiting. “I really don’t want limits but rather to compete with myself.”
Hoti has previously worked on a 7,600-square-metre canvas in Europe but said that this is not about breaking records. “This is not a challenge to the world. It is a challenge to myself.”
The artist believes creativity cannot be rushed. “Giving an artist a deadline kills creativity. I want to make art and live with art every day.”
For Hoti, the desert is not empty or colourless. “People see the desert as yellow. But I don’t see it that way. I believe we all carry colours inside us, and I want to bring those colours out.”
He said that Clio is about reconnecting people to land and nature. “The desert is alive. It changes with wind, water and time, just like humans,” he said.
Keeping a 10-km artwork alive in the desert is also a major technical challenge. That responsibility lies with Cinzia Pasquali, the restorer and conservator of the CLIO artwork.
“The choice of materials is everything. The pigments are inorganic minerals, similar to what you find naturally in the desert, so they can resist heat, humidity, wind and sand,” said Pasquali.
The canvas itself has been specially developed for the project. “It is a polyester canvas, not a traditional one. This fibre resists extreme temperatures better and is used for outdoor environments.”
Temperatures in the desert can reach 50 degrees Celsius, and Pasquali said any deformation could damage the artwork. “The canvas must not change shape. If it does, the painting’s appearance changes.”
At the same time, the artist accepts that the artwork will age. “It can breathe with the desert. Like humans, it can develop small wrinkles over time but not structural damage,” said Pasquali.
Pasquali and her team plan to monitor the artwork weekly, adjusting checks depending on weather conditions such as sandstorms or strong winds. “Ten kilometres is very long. It must be cared for constantly.”
Once completed, this architectural marvel in Dubai will turn a stretch of desert into a slow, immersive journey, where art does not sit still but flows, guiding people step by step until all paths meet under one circle in the sand.
SM Ayaz Zakir
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.
Don’t just scroll. Know it all. Sign up for your daily UAE news fix.
Get the top stories of the day right in your inbox.
