16 February 2025

LAST CHANCE Laal Collection Volume II

Total Arts at the Courtyard Al Quoz, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The latest instalment of this exhibition features Fereydoun Ave's extraordinary collection of modern and contemporary Iranian and international art, from 1959 to the present – a potent (and highly recommended) reflection of the collector’s personal journey, connections, sensibilities, and experiences. [ ... ]

LAST CHANCE Way of the Forest

421 Arts Campus Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

This travelling edition of the Colomboscope arts festival features work by 19 artists from South Asia and Africa. Taking over Galleries 1 and 2 inside 421 Arts Campus, it focuses on interdependence, custodianship, and restorative practices across rainforests, wilderness, mountain [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Farid Abu Shakra: Threads of Landscape — Engraved Narratives

Fann à Porter The Workshop, Villa 45, St. 23b, off Al Wasl Road (opposite Box Park), Jumeirah 2, Dubai

A solo exhibition of works that fuse engraving, embroidery, and landscape, presented by Gallery One, Ramallah. In Abu Shakra’s work, landscapes are more than geographical representations: "they are woven tapestries of experience and narrative”, says the gallery. "Each piece captures [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Thaier Helal: Navigating Through Nothing

Ayyam Gallery B11, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A solo exhibition featuring Helal’s most recent body of work and a pivotal moment in the artist’s evolution, a more straightforward yet deeply expressive style without the constraints of his previous methods. The new approach, characterized by loose, dynamic strokes, [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Abdoulaye Konaté: Sambadio

Efiɛ Gallery 2 Al Khayat Art Avenue, First Al Khail Street, Dubai

This solo show for the pioneering Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté is inspired by the final track of Ali Farka Touré’s iconic 1976 album Le Jeune Chansonnier du Mali. The song Sambadio celebrates farmers with lyrics reflecting a father’s passionate plea [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Eman Alhashemi: Superficial Transactions

Aisha Alabbar Gallery Warehouse C19, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Alhashemi's second solo exhibition at the gallery is her first after returning from the States with a Master’s in Fine Arts. Curated by Nasser Abdullah, this exhibition presents a series of works that build on her previous experiences, "appearing as [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Khalif Tahir Thompson / Summer Wheat: Jewels

Sotheby’s Dubai DIFC Gate Village Building No3, Unit 01, Level B2, Dubai

The first in The Gallery Collective, a series of sort-of gallery takeovers whereby Sotheby's Dubai is giving its DIFC exhibition space over to a series of local galleries in a two-year run starting in November. Every six to eight weeks, [ ... ]

Free

Marina Fedorova: Cosmodreams | Elementa

Fann à Porter The Workshop, Villa 45, St. 23b, off Al Wasl Road (opposite Box Park), Jumeirah 2, Dubai

A solo show for Marina Fedorova featuring painting, graphics, limited-edition colour prints, 3D printing, and augmented-reality pieces. Says the gallery: "Fedorova creates a diverse space that connects the distant cosmos with everyday life, providing critical reflections on the evolution of [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Rand Abdul Jabbar

Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Rand Abdul Jabbar’s first gallery solo show, curated by Meitha Almazrooei, weaves narrative with sculpture and textile to explore myth-making as a method of preservation and transformation. The exhibition follows on from her award of the Richard Mille Prize ('Earthly [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Awodiya Toluwani: The Becoming

Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery 796 Jumeirah Street, Dubai

Toluwani's fourth exhibition with the gallery (and his second in Dubai) looks at marriage in his native Nigeria. It provides insights into several marital practices observed across different local cultures and analyses prospects for the institution.

Free

LAST CHANCE Adel El Siwi: Yellow Tropics

Tabari Artspace Gate Village Level 2, DIFC, Dubai

El Siwi's first solo exhibition in over a decade features both new paintings and pieces from an archive of earlier works: "the paintings shown here collectively present philosophical provocations and musings" says the gallery. The title references Upper Egypt and [ ... ]

Free

Hot Spots

Sotheby’s Dubai DIFC Gate Village Building No3, Unit 01, Level B2, Dubai

The second in The Gallery Collective, a series of sort-of gallery takeovers whereby Sotheby's Dubai is giving its DIFC exhibition space over to a series of local galleries in a two-year run starting in November. Every six to eight weeks, [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Lamya Gargash: Kun

Maraya Art Centre Al Qasba, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Through her work, Gargash delves into spirituality, transformation, and the human journey. Her first solo exhibition with the Maraya Art Centre has a title – kun means 'to be' – that reflects the exploration of a liminal state between different [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Rita Maikova: Inner Guide

Volery Gallery Maze Tower - 5201, Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai

A solo exhibition by the Ukrainian artist combines surrealism and personal symbolism in "ethereal landscapes that explore resilience, transformation, and the cycles of life ... Her dreamlike scenes – lush green forests, sweeping sand dunes, and symbolic characters – invite [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Nabil Anani: The Land and I

Zawyeh Gallery Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Nabil Anani has been focussed on painting landscapes for over two decades. His work demonstrates how the land is central to his identity and existence, and how it is also integral to its people; in The Land and I, Anani [ ... ]

Paresh Maity: Cricket’s Greatest Canvas

Taj Dubai Burj Khalifa St, Business Bay, Dubai

Maity’s first solo exhibition in Dubai celebrates the intersection of art and sport via a dozen works inspired by the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup; the large-scale acrylics are signed by winning captains, too. To 1 March. Above: Paresh Maity, [ ... ]

Free

Bygones

NYUAD Project Space NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

What does it mean to come from a home that does not exist today? The artworks in this exhibition examine the idea of true foreigners – whose left-behind homes exist not only in a different place, but also in a [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Candice Lin: Night Stone

Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

The Los Angeles-based artist’s first solo exhibition in West Asia. Through ceramics, liquids and organic materials, Lin spotlights histories of trade, colonialism and extraction in this new central installation. It's co-commissioned with the Biennale of Sydney and Monash University Museum [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Chaouki Choukini: Citadelles of Today

Green Art Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

New work by the Lebanese-born Paris-based sculptor. Working mainly in wood but occasionally in marble or stone, Choukini's aethetic may appear somewhat primitivist; in fact his sculptures exhibit a sophisticated interrogation of organic and mechanical worlds. To 20 January.

Free

LAST CHANCE Alyazia Al Nahyan: In the Breath of Decay

Iris Projects Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

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 [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Marina Fedorova: Cosmodreams | Elementa

Fann à Porter The Workshop, Villa 45, St. 23b, off Al Wasl Road (opposite Box Park), Jumeirah 2, Dubai

A solo show for Marina Fedorova featuring painting, graphics, limited-edition colour prints, 3D printing, and augmented-reality pieces. Says the gallery: "Fedorova creates a diverse space that connects the distant cosmos with everyday life, providing critical reflections on the evolution of [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Neither Here ~ Nor Elsewhere

The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A group exhibition curated by Sanaz Askari that brings together a diverse collective of artists from across Africa and Asia – Faissal El-Malak, Hayv Kahraman, Mahsa Merci, Michael Ho, Omar Mismar, Sam Samiee, Sophia Al-Maria, Soufiane Ababri, Tahmineh Monzavi, and [ ... ]

Free

Dance Will Be You

Efiɛ Gallery 2 Al Khayat Art Avenue, First Al Khail Street, Dubai

Efie Gallery continues its commendable promotion of artists of African origin with this group show featuring María Magdalena Campos-Pons, ahead of her debut solo exhibition in the Middle East at Efie in April, alongside works by JK Bruce-Vanderpuije, Dina Nur Satti and Myles Igwebuike. [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Edgar Orlaineta: What We See of Things is the Things

CARBON 12 17th Street, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A solo show for the Mexican artist whose practice focuses on hybrid sculptural forms that draw inspiration from modernism, popular culture, and specific historic moments. In particular, Orlaineta explores post-war design and architecture, generally depicting biomorphic shapes with a strong [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Zé Tepedino: Marina

Gallery Isabelle Unit 17, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The first solo exhibition in the UAE by Brazilian carioca artist Zé Tepedino is curated by Amanda Abi Khalil and also features a work by Hassan Sharif. Says the gallery: "Marina is not a place but a tide, a rhythm [ ... ]

Free

Slavs and Tatars: Simurgh Self-Help

The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This is The Third Line's third solo exhibition with the artist collective Slavs and Tatar, presenting a new body of work inspired by Marcel Broodthaers’ Musée d'Art Moderne – Département des Aigles (1968-1972) – one of the most influential works [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Farhad Ahrarnia: No Scheherazade

Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Farhad Ahrania’s fourth solo exhibition at this gallery celebrates all things 1980s via "a multi-textual autopsy which invariably examines the complex legacy of Princess Diana Keith Haring". In particular, Ahrania looks at the flip side of 80s glitz, the spectre [ ... ]

Free

The Power of Connection

Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Subtitled ‘supporting art through patronage and collaboration’, this ‘dialogue’ on how patronage shapes the UAE’s art scene features Stéphanie Oueda-Cruz – Tiffany & Co’s Global VP for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging – in conversation with Michaela Watrelot, Director of [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Adrian Pepe: A Shroud is a Cloth 

NIKA Project Space Unit 11 Al Khayat Avenue, 19th Street Road — Al Quoz 1, Dubai

Adrian Pepe’s poetic meditation on fragmentation and renewal gets an extended run at NIKA Project Space. It uses a monumental 200m2 woollen textile piece that previously wrapped a building damaged in the 2020 Beirut Port explosion to highlight the relationship [ ... ]

Free

Morteza Darehbaghi: Timeless Blossoms

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Throughout history, nature has shape artistic expression across cultures. Persian carpets exemplify this influence, transforming the beauty of gardens and delicate blossoms into intricate designs. These motifs are deeply woven into Iranian craftsmanship, creating timeless works that connect the human [ ... ]

Free

Dale Chihuly: Selections From Four Decades of Iconic Work

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A chance to see work from the last four decades by Dale Chihuly, undoubtedly the world's best-known glass artist. Synthesising ideas and practices of the Studio Glass movement in North America with the traditions of the Venetian glass ateliers, Chihuly’s [ ... ]

Free

Melis Buyruk: Four Birds and One Soul

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Buyruk is known for her intricate and otherworldly creations, she has long explored the themes of harmony and individuality in nature. This new body of work, however, takes a more introspective turn, reflecting on the barriers that humans create within [ ... ]

Free

Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia

421 Arts Campus Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

An exhibition of ten works by the influential Khor Fakkan artist, one of the “Pioneer Five” who bolstered the contemporary art scene in the UAE in the 1980s and influenced a generation of artists in the region. Curated by Tarek [ ... ]

Free

Alla Abdunabi: Are your memories of me enough for you?

421 Arts Campus Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Alla Abdunabi’s first solo exhibition presents a new body of work that critiques and engages with simulacra, a concept used in philosophy and cultural studies to analyse how symbols shape our perceptions of what is accepted as “real.” The work [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Marc Quinn: Photosynthetic Forms

Waddington Custot Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The rebranding of Custot Gallery Dubai to Waddington Custot Dubai is coming up trumps with some big names (the partnership of long-time London art dealer Leslie Waddington, and French dealer Stephane Custot dates back to 2010, and Custot became sole [ ... ]

Free

Amirhossein Bayani: The Season of Ruin’s Remembrance

Zawyeh Gallery Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

A solo exhibition of new paintings by the Iranian artist. “As an artist from the Middle East,” says Bayani, “the concept of liberation often seems distant and unattainable. Yet, when I look at nature, I am able to imagine a [ ... ]

Free

Athar Jaber: Vestiges

Ayyam Gallery B11, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A solo exhibition for an artist only recently signed by Ayyam Gallery. This large body of work, an exploration of the fragile relationship between the human form and the forces that shape it, re-imagines the human form as figures that [ ... ]

Free

Seher Shah: Of Dust and Woven Air

Green Art Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Shah draws inspiration from Agha Shahid Ali’s poem, The Dacca Gauzes – “Those transparent Dacca gauzes / known as woven air, running / water, evening dew: / a dead art now, dead over / a hundred years”. Says the artist: [ ... ]

Free

Shama Al Hamed: I Jump – Will I Stick the Landing?

Aisha Alabbar Gallery Warehouse C19, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

This first solo show by Shama Al Hamed, curated by Walter Williems, features a collection of paintings, sculptures, and installations that offers insight into the formative experiences and emotions that have shaped the artist's creative practice and artistic perspective. Says [ ... ]

Free

Nour Malas: Evil is Banal

Carbon 12 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Nour Malas’ solo exhibition starts with Hannah Arendt's quote about the Nazis' unconscionable acts of genocide: they were not exceptional but part of a wider belief that estimated some human lives as disposable. For Malas, displacement upheaves feelings of belonging; [ ... ]

Free

Hoda Tawakol: My Mothers – The Siren, The Vessel, The Womb

Gallery Isabelle Unit 17, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Through film, photography, and sculpture, Tawakol reclaims the female body as a site of creation and resistance, reflecting on motherhood and the complex layers of identity. This exhibition’s centrepiece is a three-channel video made from stitched Super-8 film fragments (1960s–1980s) [ ... ]

Free

Sola Olulode: I’ve Got to Know You Now We May Never Meet Again

Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

The Dubai debut exhibition for the London based Nigerian-British artist whose paintings depict a vibrant dialogue between myth, memory, and the sea. In this new series the artist draws on her own holiday experiences while referencing the Yoruba water deity [ ... ]

Free

Eltiqa: How to Work Together?

Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

More 80 artworks by the Palestinian artist collective Eltiqa, Eltiqa (Arabic for “encounter”) is an artist collective from Gaza City founded in 2000. Eltiqa members have developed artistic practices together – including the setting up of a dedicated exhibition and [ ... ]

Free

Sharjah Biennial 16 opening programme

vrs Sharjah locations

Curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Öz, Sharjah Biennial 16 features works by more than 190 participants, including over 200 new commissions. The SB16 Opening Programme weekend, which runs at locations in Sharjah City, [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register for specific events

LAST CHANCE Colour Gives Me Life

Firetti Contemporary Unit 29, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

A group show of works by Ludmilla Radchenko, Rachel K (above), Ihab Ahmad, Laurent Perbos, Yana Abramova and Samuele Ventanni curated by Celine Azem. The aim is to explore how colour extends beyond visual experience, "shaping memory, emotion, and perception [ ... ]

Free

Dilyara Kaipova: Silk and Velvet: Warning safety signs

Andakulova Gallery Unit 18, P4 Level Damac Park Towers, DIFC , Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dilyara Kaipova's practice is located at the intersection of folk artisan traditions and contemporaneity; she works with Uzbek textiles, employing centuries-long traditions to make work that is relevant to the socio-cultural and ecological issues of the region. To 8 April.

Free

LAST CHANCE Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances

Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

An exhibition of masterpieces from the Post-Impressionist period that is organised into in nine sections, each celebrating both the individual styles and the shared themes that connect this transformative era in art – visitors can follow paths dedicated to Neo-Impressionism, [ ... ]

AED 63

LAST CHANCE Bygones

NYUAD Project Space NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

What does it mean to come from a home that does not exist today? The artworks in this exhibition examine the idea of true foreigners – whose left-behind homes exist not only in a different place, but also in a [ ... ]

Free

Jamal A. Rahim: The Art behind the Stars

Kutubna Cultural Center Madina Avenues 17, Nadd Al Hamar, Dubai

"An exhibition that bridges the glamour of international stars from cinema and music and the depth of fine art portraiture" – a total of 22 portraits by Bahraini artist Jamal A. Rahim of figures from Hollywood and the Arab world, [ ... ]

Free

Solimar Miller: Symphony of the Wetlands

XVA Gallery Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, Bur Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This solo show by the Dubai-based artist/designer celebrates the Gulf’s mangroves, celebrating their vital role in protecting wildlife, the coastline, and the balance of nature, "celebrating their inherent tranquillity and the intricate tapestry of endangered wildlife thriving within their protective [ ... ]

Free