In the busy workshop, the scene is alive with energy. Shaikha Al Mazrou stands at her welding station, the rhythmic clamor of her tools mingling with the sizzling sound of molten metal. Sparks burst into the air, casting fleeting glimmers of light against the darkened surroundings.
As she moves with focused precision, the noise begins to wane, giving way to the gentle hum of her concentrated effort. Gradually, the tumult subsides, leaving behind a hushed silence. In that quiet, Al Mazrou reveals her creation — a sheet of metal, bent so precisely it takes the form of a stretchy rubber band.
For the Professor of Visual Arts at NYU Abu Dhabi, art is about more than just aesthetics. Instead, every striking sculpture explores form, material, and physical transformation. Displayed across public parks, museums, and galleries from London to Abu Dhabi, each of Al Mazrou’s finished works stands as a monument to her vision and craftsmanship.
A UAE native, Al Mazrou received her MFA in 2014 at the Chelsea College of Fine Art, University of the Arts, London, where she was awarded the prestigious MFA Student Prize. Previously, she studied at the College of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Sharjah, where she returned in 2014 as a sculpture lecturer and remained until 2019.
Other career highlights include being awarded the first Artist’s Garden Commission by Dubai’s Jameel Arts Center and winning the Paulo Cunha e Silva Art Prize in 2020. Now, she is turning her focus to the next generation of emerging talent since taking up her post at NYUAD in 2021.
“I want viewers to immerse themselves in my sculptures and experience materials in a different way,” she says. “By mutating a metal sheet into a rubber band or forming a stack of fluffy pillows out of fiberglass, I’m pushing the boundaries of form and content, which is fascinating for me as an artist and unsettling for the viewer.”
Al Mazrou spends hours cutting, welding, and painting materials to manipulate the appearance of space, depth, and dimension. The finished pieces not only encourage engagement but also spark the imaginations of all who see them.
One of her more recent works was a public light art exhibition set in a coastal landscape. Part of the Manar Abu Dhabi 2025 series, The Contingent Object used crystallized seawater to register time through material transformation.
Sited close to the shoreline at Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi, the luminous work took the form of a circular salt field roughly thirty meters across, where a shallow plane of seawater was left to the forces of heat and wind.
As evaporation intensified, color deepened and salt crystals assembled, forming a pale crust along the perimeter. What began as a calm, liquid surface slowly compacted into a dense, reflective plane, bearing the visible imprint of climate, duration, and tidal air.
Elsewhere in the UAE, Al Mazrou turned to the rugged backdrop of the Hajar Mountains in Hatta with Deliberate Pauses. Five bright red metallic discs, each about five meters in diameter, were carefully placed along hiking paths, their presence both deliberate and organic.
Unveiled in April 2025 in collaboration with curator Faysal Tabbarah, the installations interrupt movement, inviting moments of reflection that recalibrate the viewer’s sense of time and place.
Each disc acts as a sculptural pause, framing stillness as an active experience, and subtly shifting perception of the landscape before releasing the body and mind back into motion.
Earlier works of Al Mazrou include the 2022 Red Stack sculpture in London’s Regent Park, which captured the art world’s attention. Crafted from fiberglass and resin, the public installation depicted a pile of giant red cushions, teetering precariously against the lush green backdrop of the park.
“Groups of kids pretended to lie down on pillows,” says Al Mazrou. “A lot of people were curious to know how they were made or stacked. I always enjoy feedback, particularly from those who are not necessarily interested in art but would walk through a park, see my work, and think, ‘What is this?’ I would like to know a little bit more.”
Al Mazrou is frequently asked about what inspires her work. Her answer? Anything, everything, and sometimes even nothing can serve as a muse. For her, the creative process takes precedence over the final result.
“I find so much joy when holding a welding machine and trying to create an accurate straight line,” she says. “It’s this process, the challenge and satisfaction of translating my identity as an artist into each piece, that truly defines my work.”
Al Mazrou wants to instill the same passion in her NYUAD students.
“I preach to my students, and remind myself to always stay hungry,” she says. “Become a student of life, be genuine with your practice, and try to be as authentic as you can. Creating works is a visual language; it's an expression, and it's there to be enjoyed by everyone.”
