The COVID-19 pandemic was a moment of intense stillness in a world addicted to being “in motion.” In a year of global paralysis, nature revealed the beauty and resilience of its movement, transforming its landscapes and revitalizing its ecosystems. The “anthropause” offered something to all living beings equally: a moment to grow in ways we did not expect. Whales in the Hudson, turtles in Dubai Marina, and rare species visiting empty cities in Latin America demonstrated that our absence meant greater life for others with whom we share this world. 

As we prepare to evaluate humanity’s impact on the natural world at the UAE-based COP-28, we find ourselves in a world fraught with tensions and contradictions. Emerging from the stillness of the pandemic, our hunger for movement and desire for change has been increasing in tandem with an anxiety-driven fear of the unknown. However, like the roaring 1920s that followed the devastation of World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic, people are bursting to celebrate liberation and freedom. As Arshile Gorky says, “movement is the translation of life, and if art depicts life, movement should come into art since we are only aware of living because it moves.” 

This year, the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival will be reborn as the Ras Al Khaimah Art. In Motion for us, therefore, represents a new beginning and a chance to reimagine what’s possible for the next decade of the Festival. But it is also an opportunity to question what should be the new “normal” and an invitation to embrace the beauty, diversity, and constant evolution of the world around us. From generative AI and NFTs to journeys to space to environmental movements, Ras Al Khaimah Art 2024 seeks to simultaneously celebrate and critique the power of motion and change. From the mechanical to the natural, we ask you to reflect on what it means to live life in motion once again.