Events
Abu Dhabi Art
Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe fifteenth edition of Abu Dhabi Art, which runs 22-26 November 2023, will once again be the largest yet – there will be 92 gallery booths (a few galleries are in more than one section). They include 37 new and [ ... ]
FreeAcoustic Sundays
The Fridge Warehouse Warehouse 5, Alserkal Avenue, DubaiA pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon: chilled Latin beats by Jose Ramon on piano, zero alcohol cocktails from TVM @ The Fridge ...
FreeCoulrophobia (Fear of Clowns)
The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesGaby Milky writes and directs this "musical-ish satire", first seen back in 2017. The king of Blinktonasia is imposing a strict regime that requires eradication of the clowns, the threat to his monarchy; so he orders the Professor to devise [ ... ]
AED 120
Aida Garifullina: Opera Gala
Dubai OperaThe star Russian lyric soprano Aida Garifullina performs a programme that ranges across iconic arias from the classic Italian and Russian operas but also includes crossover hits. She's accompanied by the Northern Sinfonia under conductor Fabio Mastrangelo.
from AED 350
Rashid Rana: It Lies Beyond
Volte Art Projects Warehouse 13, Alserkal Avenue, DubaiRashid Rana characteristically challenges our perceptions of scale through the intermingling of both small and large imagery, exploring and revealing patterns and similarities. In It Lies Beyond (above), the imposing proportions invite viewers to immerse themselves in the intricate imagery [ ... ]
Gazelli Art House: Jawhar
Jossa by Alserkal Warehouse 45, Alserkal Avenue, DubaiA pop-up exhibition for Alserkal Art Week by London-based Gazelli Art House. The group show aims to spotlight pressing environmental concerns and features Recycle Group; Libby Heaney; Kalliopi Lemos; Aida Mahmudova; Elnara Nasirli; Aidan Salakhova; and Matteo Zamagni. Recycle Group [ ... ]
Free
Juma Al Haj: The Return
Warehouse 46 Alserkal Avenue, DubaiA short run for this pop-up solo exhibition by the Emirati artist, noted for his calligraphy-like abstracted text in paintings and drawings. His abstract notations appear unconscious, though his process is in fact method-based, calculated and always originating from his [ ... ]
Free
Reviewing Landscape
Elmarsa Gallery 23 Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesA group exhibition of landscapes from a genuinely eclectic list of painters – Alexis Delahogue (France, d.1936), Ammar Farhat (Tunisia, d.1987), Antoine ‘Mayo’ Malliarakis (Egypt, d.1990), Atef Maatallah (Tunisia, b. 1981), Baya Mahieddine (Algeria, d.1998), Cécile Bougourd (France, d.1941), Hedi [ ... ]
FreeClifford Ross: Hurricane Waves
Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab EmiratesThe singular goal of the American multimedia artist’s solo show is work that relates to the sublime in nature. This exhibition is a collection of dramatic photographs depicting the power of the ocean manifesting through its ever-changing forms during storms [ ... ]
FreeMaxi Cohen: The Poetry of Water
Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab EmiratesMaxi Cohen’s first solo show in the UAE is a collection of water art captured in the UAE that includes paintings, large format photographs, multimedia works, immersive installations, mixed-reality, and video furniture. For 25 years Cohen’s engagement with water, as [ ... ]
FreeDiane Tuft: Frozen in Time
Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab EmiratesThe mixed media artist’s solo show is a collection of photographs documenting the expansive beauty of our planet and the dire situation that it continues to face if we do not provide a sustainable environment for its future. Diane Tuft [ ... ]
Free
Alserkal Art Week
Alserkal Avenue Al Quoz 1, DubaiThis year’s Alserkal Art Week runs from Monday 20 November to Sunday 26 November at Alserkal Avenue. It’s been refocussed at short notice on Gaza and related issues, in particular with a major exhibition in Concrete. The full programme is [ ... ]
FreeMonday Night Comedy: This Is Impro
Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesExactly what it says: a regular Monday evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus guests. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome
A Musical Journey: Jordi Savall in Conversation
NYUAD Campus, Conference Centre NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe -award-winning Catalan-Spanish musicologist, music maker and conductor Jordi Savall is in town for a concert with a special focus on the Hispanic and Mediterranean musical heritage. Here he joins Maurice Pomerantz, Senior Director of NYUAD Institute and Professor of [ ... ]
Free, but pre-register
Art & Music Night
Theatre of Digital Arts Souk Madinat Jumeriah, DubaiAn immersive evening at the Theatre of Digital Art – digitised projected art ("the masterpieces of the greatest artists of the 20th century") is accompanied live by Soren Lyng Hansen on cello, double bass and piano. He is very good, [ ... ]
AED 150Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro
Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTen actors converge for a night of scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. After each round you score the players on a scale of 1 to 5, and the one with the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome
In the Dusky Path of a Dream: Notes from Abstracting the Real
Rizq Art Initiative Leaf Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu DhabiA group show for 27 Indian artists in this new art space on Al Reem Island; they are presenting works that examine the role that memory and identity plays in connecting the past and the future. “We constantly encounter situations [ ... ]
Free
DIFC Art Nights
DIFC Gate Village DubaiAn open air exhibition of works on the theme of ‘Expressions for Sustainable Change’ has been selected from an open call; they join the DIFC galleries' late-evening opening on 23 and 24 November. It all makes for a pleasant amble, [ ... ]
FreeNYU Abu Dhabi MFA Open Studios
The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe NYU Abu Dhabi MFA in Art and Media programme is throwing its doors open (briefly) to coincide with Abu Dhabi Art; you're invited to meet MFA students and faculty, learn more about the MFA course (including scholarships), and see [ ... ]
Free, but pre-register
Silent Objects | An Interactive Storytelling Session by Shereen Saif
Ishara Art Foundation Alserkal Avenue, DubaiTaking as its point of departure a folktale that inspired Sudarshan Shetty’s artwork ‘A Song A Story’, Shereen Saif's workshop invites participants to uncover stories layered in everyday objects. Touching on history, memory and silences, the workshop is a companion [ ... ]
Free but pre-register
Russell Peters: Act Your Age World Tour
Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu DhabiRussell Peters, recently honoured as one of Rolling Stone's 50 Best Comics of All Time, is in town with his new stand-up special ("a night of outrageous laughs from start to finish"). It will also be filmed, which does sometimes [ ... ]
From AED 165Laughter Factory: ‘The Good, the Bad and the Filthy’ Tour
Hyde Hotel Dubai Marasi Drive, Business BayBusiness Bay, DubaiThe second weekend for the November standups – Kate Barron from Canada ("after a lifetime of being told she is too big, too loud and too vulgar, by everyone from strangers to teachers, she decided to step on stage and [ ... ]
AED 160
Masood Boomgaard: Self-Help Singh
Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, DubaiThe rather good South African / Indian comedian is back in Dubai with his alter ego, Self-Help Singh, alternative life coach and de-motivational speaker (who apparently “first appeared to Boomgaard in a vision after he fell and hit his head [ ... ]
From AED 125
Tanweer Sacred Music Festival
Mleiha Archaeological Centre SharjahSheikha Bodour Al Qasimi’s latest initiative is a three day festival (24-26 November) that aims to rediscover and celebrate traditional sacred music. Envisioned as “a testament to tradition, wisdom, and the power of togetherness”, it “aims to bring people closer [ ... ]
From AED 554Focal Point 2023
Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, SharjahThe sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point art book fair – the region’s only art book fair, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during its run (24 to [ ... ]
Free, but pre-booking is requiredFocal Point 2023
Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, SharjahThe sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point art book fair – the region’s only art book fair, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during its run (24 to [ ... ]
Free, but pre-booking is required
Boeing-Boeing
The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesMarc Camoletti's farce, which first played in 1960, was a smash hit in his native country and (in the English translation by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans) on Broadway and the West End; it went to Hollywood too in 1965, [ ... ]
AED 120
Jethro Tull: Seven Decades
Dubai OperaDating all the way back to the late 1960s, the darlings of quirky prog rock are still on the road with the Seven Decades tour. As with many long-lived bands, Jethro Tull has gone through many changes in its roster; [ ... ]
from AED 295Laughter Factory: ‘The Good, the Bad and the Filthy’ Tour
Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, DubaiLast couple of gigs for the November standups – Kate Barron from Canada ("after a lifetime of being told she is too big, too loud and too vulgar, by everyone from strangers to teachers, she decided to step on stage [ ... ]
AED 160Down to Earth 2023
The Jameel’s annual day-long festival for culture enthusiasts, the eco-conscious and sustainability is back, just days ahead of COP28's opening. Expect activities for all ages themed around botanical, sustainable and eco-conscious living with hands-on workshops, tours, talks and demonstrations, plus [ ... ]
FreeMohannad OrabI: Coloured Shadows
Urbanist Art Gallery Box Park, Al Wasl Road, DubaiCollage art by the Dubai-based Syrian artist whose work reflects his interest in spontaneity, the liberation of forms and colours, and the creation of art without specific guidelines. To 20 December.
FreeFocal Point 2023
Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, SharjahThe sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point art book fair – the region’s only art book fair, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during its run (24 to [ ... ]
Free, but pre-booking is required
Boeing-Boeing
The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesA second evening for Marc Camoletti's farce, adapted into English by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans) and now it's getting the Dubai treatment with a H72 production at The Junction. It has a classic farce plot: swinging bachelor Bernard is [ ... ]
AED 120
Global Notes: Natalie Perez & Amira Fouad
Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, DubaiAnother impressive booking for the Global Notes series: the impressive young French mezzosoprano Natalie Perez is accompanied for this recital of songs and classical ariass by Amira Fouad on piano.
AED 265
Jim Gaffigan: Barely Alive
Dubai OperaAmerican stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer brings his Barely Alive tour to Dubai. He's a hard worker – his ninth stand-up special premiered on Netflix in December and was nominated for a Grammy, his tenth comedy special will be [ ... ]
From AED 250Laughter Factory: ‘The Good, the Bad and the Filthy’ Tour
Dukes The Palm Palm Dubai, DubaiThe final gig for the November standups – Kate Barron from Canada ("after a lifetime of being told she is too big, too loud and too vulgar, by everyone from strangers to teachers, she decided to step on stage and [ ... ]
AED 160Boeing-Boeing
The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesA final pair of performances for Marc Camoletti's swinging 60s farce, adapted into English by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans) and now it's getting the Dubai treatment with a H72 production at The Junction. Swinging bachelor Bernard is simultaneously engaged [ ... ]
AED 120Focal Point 2023
Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, SharjahThe sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point art book fair – the region’s only art book fair, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during its run (24 to [ ... ]
Free, but pre-booking is required
Pablo Reinoso: Lines in Motion
Waddington Custot Dubai, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesThe first solo exhibition in the region for the French-Argentinian artist features a selection of existing and brand-new works first shown at Abu Dhabi Art that provides a comprehensive survey of Reinoso’s sculptural practice. The show highlights the whimsical world [ ... ]
Free
Rima Chahine: Euphoria
The Warehouse Goshi Warehouse 57, Al Quoz 3, DubaiThe Dubai-based Canadian artist's third solo show is a series of her signature abstracts, featuring striking use of colour and aiming to leave the viewer with "feelings of exaltation, elation and joyousness". Says the artist: "the remedy for self-fixation – [ ... ]
FreeFocal Point 2023
Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, SharjahThe sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point art book fair – the region’s only art book fair, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during its run (24 to [ ... ]
Free, but pre-booking is requiredHekayah | The Story
NYUAD East Plaza Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesWhat does 'home' mean to you? Your country, your city, your family? Abu Dhabi is conventionally but accurately described as melting pot of people from all over the world, and if anything NYU Abu Dhabi represents even more of a [ ... ]
FreeMonday Night Comedy: This Is Impro
Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesExactly what it says: a regular Monday evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus guests. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]
Free but donations welcomeFocal Point 2023
Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, SharjahThe sixth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s Focal Point art book fair – the region’s only art book fair, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during its run (24 to [ ... ]
Free, but pre-booking is requiredSmall Island Big Song: Our Island
NYUAD East Plaza Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesMusicians from islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans sing of their concerns for the changing seas. The concert brings together artists from Taiwan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Tokelau/Aotearoa (New Zealand), and Rapa Nui (Easter Island), performing songs they have co-written; the [ ... ]
AED 105Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro
Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTen actors converge for a night of scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. After each round you score the players on a scale of 1 to 5, and the one with the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome
Jade Kim & Kai: SOMEDAY | Love and Labyrinths
Volery Gallery Maze Tower - 5201, Dubai International Financial Center, DubaiA dual exhibition for two interesting Asian artists – Jade Kim from South Korea and Kai from Japan. Jade Kim's practice is based around the animated character MIN, an embodiment of his wife, whose personality and characteristics inspire his paintings [ ... ]
Free
Julian Charrière: Melting Point
For COP28, the noted climate-engaged Swiss-French artist is presenting an important show in collaboration with Art of Change 21, a non-profit organisation on art and environment which has curated exhibitions and events at each COP since 2015; and Alserkal Initiatives, [ ... ]
Snarky Puppy
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Dubai, United Arab EmiratesGenre-blurring musical collective Snarky Puppy is in town for one night only. Playing together since 2004 and led by bassist Michael League, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk that has won it five [ ... ]
From AED 150
