In a special ceremony in Nikko, Japan, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Richard Mille announced Ryoichi Kurokawa as the winner of the fifth edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize. Ryoichi was selected from the shortlisted artists whose works are featured in Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Art Here 2025 exhibition, and received the award along with a US$60,000 prize during the ceremony.
Ryoichi’s winning work skadw- transforms shadows into an immersive form. The atmospheric installation uses light, sound, and drifting fog to shape a shifting landscape of shadow. A narrow beam moves through layers of mist, generating patterns that appear and dissolve, giving shadow a physical presence.
This year’s theme of Shadows inspired Ryoichi to approach shadow not as a by-product of light, but as a substance that shapes how we sense space. Ryoichi drew from the Japanese notion of Ma, the appreciation of intervals, emptiness, and the spaces between things. Through this concept, Ryoichi created a contemplative environment where viewers are encouraged to experience absence as something vivid and almost tangible.
Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: “Louvre Abu Dhabi is honoured to provide a platform where artists can explore powerful ideas and push creative boundaries. We extend our congratulations to Ryoichi Kurokawa for his remarkable work skadw-, which engages the theme of ‘Shadows’ with both emotional depth and formal precision. This fifth edition of the prize is undoubtedly one of the most mature to date, not only in terms of artistic calibre, but also in its resonance with our visitors. It was already a treat to welcome artists from the region and from Japan under our iconic dome. Our continued collaboration with Richard Mille is a testament to our shared commitment to supporting bold contemporary voices and to celebrating artistic excellence and innovation shaping the future of art.”
“Ryoichi Kurokawa’s skadw- presents a nuanced response to this year’s theme. His approach, shaped by traditions from Japan and connected to a wider audience, speaks to the cross-cultural exchange at the core of the Richard Mille Art Prize. We are glad to recognise a work that adds to the conversation around contemporary art and strengthens the dialogue between our regions,” says Tilly Harrison, Managing Director Richard Mille Middle East.
The winner was selected by a distinguished five-member jury featuring His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of Alliances for Global Sustainability (AGS), Founder of UAE Unlimited, an art collector, and board member of the British Museum and Centre Pompidou. Joining him are Dr Guilhem André, Director of Scientific, Curatorial, and Collection Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi; Maya Allison, founding Executive Director of the Art Gallery and Chief Curator at New York University Abu Dhabi; Sophie Mayuko Arni, exhibition curator and founding editor of Global Art Daily, and Yuko Hasegawa, Research Professor at Kyoto University and former Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
Dr Guilhem André, Director of Scientific, Curatorial, and Collection Management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, said: “Serving on the jury this year revealed the depth and ambition of the works created in response to the theme of ‘Shadows’. The shortlisted artists approached the theme with clarity and imagination, interpreting shadow as material, memory, architecture, and emotion. Their works reflect the richness of artistic practices connected to the Gulf and the wider region and demonstrate how contemporary creations can integrate seamlessly into the architecture of Louvre Abu Dhabi. It has been inspiring to witness how Art Here continues to grow as a platform that brings together diverse viewpoints and reaffirms the importance of cross-cultural creativity.”
Sophie Mayuko Arni, exhibition curator and founding editor of Global Art Daily, said: “I am thrilled that Ryoichi Kurokawa’s skadw- is the winning artwork of this fifth edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize. His immersive, participatory, and enchanting corridor was one of the most highly visited and well-received works of Art Here 2025 at Louvre Abu Dhabi, striking chords with visitors of all ages and origins while providing a fresh interpretation to this year’s theme of ‘Shadows’. The Prize continues to celebrate the mastery of contemporary artists to visualise compelling stories reflective of our times, this year highlighting the use of technology and new media to strike emotions through light and liminal spaces.”
Ryoichi Kurokawa, winner of the fifth edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize, said: “I am deeply grateful for this recognition and honoured to be part of Art Here 2025. This opportunity has given me the chance to share my work with new audiences and to be part of a remarkable community of artists. In skadw-, I worked with light, fog, and sound to let shadows shape the space itself, allowing absence, intervals, and shifting darkness to become something almost physical. The piece explores how shadows guide perception and how the unseen can take on its own presence. My sincere thanks go to Louvre Abu Dhabi and Richard Mille for supporting artists and for creating a space where creativity can grow.”
For its fifth edition, Art Here 2025 welcomed over 400 proposals from artists based in the GCC and Japan, alongside artists from the MENA region with a GCC connection. The shortlisted works by Ahmed Alaqra, Jumairy, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Hamra Abbas, Rintaro Fuse, and the duo YOKOMAE et BOUAYAD are on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until 28 December.
Art Here has become a key platform for spotlighting contemporary artists from the region and globally, presenting a wide range of mediums and perspectives.
