Alyazia Al Nahyan: In the Breath of Decay

A solo show for the Emirati artist to open this new gallery in Abu Dhabi’s Mina al Zayed. Al Nahyan’s practice is based on foraging — materials she collects on her walks through her family farm and elsewhere, are accentuated in the shapes they leave behind after being subjected to bleach and vinegar. Nadine Khalil, who curates the exhibition, describes Al Nahyan as “an artist who lets the natural world take the lead in her process of mark-making … She is interested in how a landscape can hold memories and renders this thought in subtle, abstract works that represent both zoomed-out and magnified perspectives”.

To 20 January.

Founded in 2020 and rooted within the UAE art scene, Iris Projects describes itself as a socially-driven visual arts and culture agency that “seeks to be an agent of cultural transformation”. The gallery will be open to the public by appointment only. Future programming is planned to include talks, panels and guided tours of exhibitions; artists represented by Iris (and from whom we can presumably expect future shows) include Abdullah Al Othman, Juma Al Haj, Roudhah Al Mazrouie, and Shamsa Al Omaira.