• Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

    Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Remote Al Ain by Rimini Protokoll

    Rimini Protokoll pushes the boundaries of conventional theatre. During this performance walk within the collective’s ‘Remote X’ series (2013–ongoing), you are invited to explore the growing presence of artificial intelligence in future cities; for this tour, designed specifically for Al [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • LAST CHANCE 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.

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Nada Baraka and Esraa Elfeky: Across A Velvet Horizon

    Tabari Artspace Gate Village Level 2, DIFC, Dubai

    A collaborative presentation of Egyptian artists Nada Baraka and Esraa Elfeky that plays on "a sense of incompleteness ... Here, history is unfixed and left open to question. Viewers are invited to sit with uncertainty, to embrace the search even [ ... ]

    Free
  • Art Connects Women

    DIFC Gate Avenue 4 DIFC, Dubai

    Launched in 2017, this annual initiative dedicated to empowering female artists and fostering gender parity in the creative industry includes a short-run exhibition which promises "an extensive array of art works by women artists from across the world" (we don't [ ... ]

    Free
  • Kodo

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    In Japanese, the word ‘kodo’ can have two meanings – it can be translated as ‘heartbeat’, the primal source of all rhythm, and in a different context it can mean ‘children of the drum’, which reflects the group’s desire to [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Habuba Farah: Beams of Light

    Artbooth Gallery Centro Capital Center, Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Abu Dhabi

    A selection of works from the 1970s to the present by the noted Lebanese-Brazilian artist, including oils on canvas, gouache on paper, and pencil drawings. A highlight is her exploration of 'neutral gray' or coloured gray, achieved by blending primary [ ... ]

    Free
  • Will the UAE be the capital of Arab pop culture over the next decade?

    NYUAD Campus, Conference Centre NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Another good-looking offer from the NYUAD Institute, considering whether the UAE can become the epicentre of Arab pop culture over the next decade or if its influence will remain tied to amplifying trends from elsewhere. The panellists will examine the [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Kodo

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A second performance for the Abu Dhabi Festival by this troupe of highly skilled Japanese drummers  

    AED 175
  • To Know Malaysia is to Love Malaysia: Major Highlights from The AFK Collection

    Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu Dhabi

    A group show by pioneering first-generation Malaysian contemporary artists, selected from The AFK Collection — the most comprehensive collection of Malaysian contemporary art from the 1980s to the present. Exhbiited artists include Ahmad Shukri Mohammed, Ahmad Fuad Osman, Ali Nurazmal, [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hadieh Shafie: Resonant Turns

    The Mine Warehouse 46, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Hadieh Shafie uses ink, paint and paper as material for works that abstract text into form, evoking different optical perspectives; her reliefs comprise circular or cone-shaped scrolls inscribed with Farsi poetry and her own writing in acts of concealment, fragmentation [ ... ]

    Free
  • DIFC Art Nights

    DIFC Dubai

    The 19th edition of DIFC's pre-Art Dubai "celebration of art and creativity" – art on show, mostly al fresco, plus panel discussions, live perfromances, and late-night opening for the DIFC galleries. Open 5pm to 10pm.

    Free
  • Art Connects Women Conference

    DIFC Gate Avenue 4 DIFC, Dubai

    The conference in the Art Connects Women programme has the title From Finance to Sustainable Impact: Advancing Women's Role in the Creative Economy; it aims "to bridge the gap between finance and sustainable impact, empowering women in the creative economy [ ... ]

    tbc
  • Pencil In

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

    A writers’ group intended for writers to practice their craft without the pressures of producing a final outcome, designed to provide a supportive environment for writers to write alone yet in a group. You're invited to polish your writing skills [ ... ]

    Free
  • Aseel AlYaqoub: three films

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A screening of three films by Aseel AlYaqoub, currently featuring in the NYUAD Art Gallery's important Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial exhibition (due to close on 20 April and well work seeing – again, if you've already been). Through [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Yunchan Lim

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    For this Abu Dhabi Festival recital, the gifted young Korean pianist plays Bach’s Goldberg Variations. In 2022 he was the youngest person in history to win the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, aged 22; he's been [ ... ]

    SOLD OUT but there may be returns
  • LAST CHANCE Ryoten Ogata: The Essence of Blue

    Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown Marasi Drive, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Inspired by his upbringing in Hokkaido, Ryoten Ogata creates artwork with the sea as a recurring theme; each painting represents a singular, unrepeatable moment of movement on the sea's surface

    Free
  • Pedro Martin Rojo: Faces of Dubai

    The Warehouse Goshi Warehouse 57, Al Quoz 3, Dubai

    The artist's first solo exhibition in Dubai features 12 new portraits that aim to capture "the rich diversity of women who define Dubai’s essence ... each portrait a tribute to the quiet confidence, individuality, and allure that make this city [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hazem Harb: Not There, Yet Felt

    Tabari Artspace Gate Village Level 2, DIFC, Dubai

    Unlike earlier works that centred around collective narratives, this new body of work from Hazem Harb is highly personal and intimate; it aims to draw the viewer into Harb's own lived environment, reflecting his sense of disembodiment, a feeling of [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Negative S P A C E

    Villa 72, Al Fanna St Umm Suqeim 3, Dubai

    A group exhibition that examines the resilience and resourcefulness of artists working outside the confines of institutional representation. Negative S P A C E is the outcome of Engage101’s third Peer Review Program, an artist development initiative centred around discussion [ ... ]

    Free
  • Adel Dauood: Immigrant

    Urbanist Art Gallery Box Park, Al Wasl Road, Dubai

    "The immigrant embodies the human capacity to adapt and rebuild wherever they settle. They create bridges between cultures, carrying a soul heavy with memories that form a part of their identity." New work by the prominent Syrian artist, blending abstraction [ ... ]

    Free
  • It Awakens (At Night) The Thought

    Sima Collective 11 21C Street, Al Quoz 3, Dubai

    "An intimate group show interrogating the nocturnal psyche", featuring Shamsa Al Mansoori, Farah Maktari, Ashna Malik and Jude Samman. This is the first show to be organised by a new name to us, @Vertygo.art, and curated by Nicolo Venelli. To 21 [ ... ]

    Free
  • Bluewaters Art Festival

    Bluewaters Dubai

    The inaugural Bluewaters Art Festival runs 4pm to midnight from 12 to 20 April, featuring a theme ("Re:Connect") and "designed to transform the island into a vibrant open-air gallery". Expect murals,  installations, large-scale inflatable art, outdoor sculptures, and indoor exhibits [ ... ]

    Free
  • Reading Group: Reading the City – Home and Belonging in the Gulf

    Jameel Library Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai

    The Jameel Library Reading Groups return with a new series that considers urban life across the globe. Over the course of four sessions, participants will engage with short texts that spotlight different cities, following thematic threads and examining contemporary literature [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Candlelight Opoen Air: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

    Raffles The Palm West Crescent, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    One of the most successful productions in the Candlelight Concerts series – "classical music concerts aimed at democratising access to classical music by allowing people all over the world to enjoy live music candlelit performances".  The Vivaldi favourite was written [ ... ]

    From AED200
  • Contemporary vs Traditional Genres

    Etihad Museum 1 Jumeirah St, Dubai

    A discussion exploring the connection between poetry and urban music, featuring Emirati artist Saud G and poet Salem Al Attas with Saudi music expert and radio host Hassan Dennaoui (Big Hass) moderating. What influence has Western musical styles had on [ ... ]

    Free
  • Bashir Makhoul: The Promise

    Zawyeh Gallery Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    New works by the noted Palestinian artist. The title The Promise suggests a poetic and ambiguous statement of intent; a promise is made but can also be broken. Makhoul's practice engages deeply with the concept of home, with the recurring [ ... ]

    Free
  • Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

    Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Performance Co/Lab

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

    An ongoing programme of performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques aimed at "performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Instructors are multidisciplinary theatre artist and game designer Carlos Páez [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Mini Festival by Vinyl Souk

    25hours Hotel Dubai One Central Trade Center Street, Dubai

    Vinyl Souk's Mini Festival is back, a day of live music, records, audio gear, merch, art, DJs, bands, workshops, and kids' activities – "a celebration of local and regional talent and good vibes for all". There's tasty street fare at [ ... ]

    AED 180
  • Remote Abu Dhabi by Rimini Protokoll

    Rimini Protokoll pushes the boundaries of conventional theatre. During this performance walk within the collective’s ‘Remote X’ series (2013–ongoing), you are invited to explore the growing presence of artificial intelligence in future cities; for this tour, designed specifically for Abu [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Remote Al Ain by Rimini Protokoll

    Rimini Protokoll pushes the boundaries of conventional theatre. During this performance walk within the collective’s ‘Remote X’ series (2013–ongoing), you are invited to explore the growing presence of artificial intelligence in future cities; for this tour, designed specifically for Al [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Jam Rebel: Sunset Reggae

    The Fridge Warehouse Warehouse 5, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    A reggae evening with the dynamic five-piece, with a repertoire that spans reggae history from Bob Marley to Lucky Dube, (plus a bit of UB40 pop-reggae and their own songs). These guys know how to have a lot of fun [ ... ]

    AED 150
  • Reynier Llanes: Reverie

    Firetti Contemporary Unit 29, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    An exhibition inspired by French philosopher Gaston Bachelard’s comment on 'reverie' – "Reverie is not a mind vacuum. It is rather the gift of an hour which knows the plenitude of the soul", a space where imagination and memory intertwine [ ... ]

  • Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: I Am Soil. My Tears Are Water

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

    Efie Gallery is opening its new space in Alserkal Avenue with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons’ debut solo exhibition in the Middle East. The exhibiiton, curated by Faridah Folawiyo, explores diaspora and interconnectedness through the flora and fauna of Latin America, the [ ... ]

    Free
  • Maydan: A Living Agora

    Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    This clever collaboration fills one of Leila Heller's gallery spaces with work by artists from Toronto's Zaal Art Gallery for a short run that coincides with Art Dubai – thus providing curated exposure for rather more work than an Art [ ... ]

    Free
  • Kuniko Kato

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Kuniko Kato is one of the world’s leading percussionists, noted for astonishing virtuosity and flawless technique, exquisite musical insight and expressive yet elegant performance style; we don't know what her programme will be, but she is equally proficient in traditional [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Michael Sailstorfer: Air Electric

    Carbon 12 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Sailstorfer’s fourth solo exhibition with the gallery brings together three series of works that explore one of the artist’s signature themes: energy. He reflects on energy as a source, as storage, as a transmitter, as working material – in short, [ ... ]

    Free
  • Sama Alshaibi: طرس (Tterss)

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

    A solo exhibition of recent body work by one of the gallery’s stars. Alshaibi’s multimedia work explores spaces of conflict and the power struggles that reimagine Baghdad’s transformation – its peaks, declines, and latent possibilities. Baghdad becomes a site of [ ... ]

    Free
  • Huda Lutfi: Unraveling

    The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Huda Lutfi’s fourth solo exhibition at the gallery includes works from three recent series – When Dreams Call for Silence (2019), Our Black Thread (2020–2021), and Healing Devices (2020–ongoing) It also includes a selection of previously unshown miniature collages, offering [ ... ]

    Free
  • Elias Sime: Through the Window

    Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    The first solo exhibition in the Middle East for the Addis Ababa artist showcases Sime’s distinctive practice of transforming colourful wires, circuit boards, and electronic components into intricate, layered compositions that blur the boundaries between technology, nature, and abstraction. The [ ... ]

    Free
  • Maryam Hoseini: Swells

    Green Art Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The second solo exhibition at this gallery for the Iran-born, NY-based artist features new paintings that revels in transplanting elements within themselves. Hoseini says “the figures have moved from architecture to landscape"; so the flat figure expands and multiplies in [ ... ]

    Free
  • Halim Al Karim: Mythological Love

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

    Experimental photography works by the Iraqui artist, who says: “Inspired by the Sumerian myth and my archaeological excavations in our invisible life, the mythological love series invites us to contemplate the magical love relationship between human women and the Anunnaki [ ... ]

    Free
  • Al Braithwaite: MATAB

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

    Al Braithwaite is a contemporary artist from London who works across a variety of disciplines including sculpture, assemblage, found material and installation. For this show, Braithwaite’s Material Abstraction (MATAB) comprises textured panels arrayed as physical sculptures. Says the gallery: “Their [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hassan Sharif: The Storyteller

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

    Curated by Murtaza Vali, this exhibition revisits Hassan Sharif’s 'objects', works which expand the definition of 'craft' beyond notions of skill, precision and medium-specific mastery and towards "an experimental, experiential and embodied practice of learning, understanding, and knowing through making". [ ... ]

    Free
  • a radical intimacy of hanging out

    Aisha Alabbar Gallery Warehouse C19, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    A group exhibition featuring Emirati artists Asma Khoory, Taqwa Alnaqbi, and Sultan Al Remeithi, curated by Salem AlSuwaidi. "In a world rushing forward, the exhibition invites you to linger—where 'killing time' becomes a quiet, radical act of care, presence, and [ ... ]

    Free
  • Naeemeh Kazemi: Bubble Land

    Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A solo show for an artist whose distinctive approach to visual storytelling lies in her ability to blend hyperrealism with dreamlike distortion. Her paintings transform the sea into a metaphor for modern existence where joy and anxiety coexist, and spectacle [ ... ]

    Free
  • Naeemeh Kazemi: Bubble Land

    Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A solo show for an artist whose distinctive approach to visual storytelling lies in her ability to blend hyperrealism with dreamlike distortion. In this series, a follow-on from her gorgeous but unsettling La La Land works, her paintings transform the [ ... ]

    Free