In response to the Nja Mahdaoui retrospective in the main gallery at BFAF, this exhibition presents loans from the Ministry of Culture’s Al Burda exhibitions from 2008 to 2023. Al Burda was/is an annual exhibition where contemporary artists engage with [ ... ]
Now this sounds like a lot of fun – an immersive hi-tech retelling of the story of the Mahabharata epic hero Karn. Raised in a humble village, unaware of his noble birth, a stable boy among princes, Karn’s journey leads [ ... ]
The second performance for this joyful lesson in how theatre can transcend language barriers. An actress receives a student for a private drama lesson in her apartment; he is eager to learn the tricks of the trade, she is thrilled [ ... ]
The second performance for this irreverent high-energy high-physicality parody of Lord of the Rings (the film rather than the novel, in fact). Intricate Foley work is matched by the sheer skill of the actors and the increasingly manic complexity of [ ... ]
The second performance for this affectionate high-energy shot-for-shot parody of the iconic 90s film Jurassic Park, with two blokes and a Foley artist delivering all the key characters (including most of the dinosaurs). Token low-budget costumes combined with the actors’ [ ... ]
This NYUAD Institute talk considers how artworks operate across different contexts, from museums and galleries to public spaces and digital circulation. Drawing on over 15 years of experience, Bahia Shehab reflects on how audience engagement shifts when art is encountered [ ... ]
This exhibition is described by the gallery as “a visual dialogue, suspended between Occidental heritage and Oriental sensibilities” and “rooted in the belief that love is a direct conduit to the Divine – a state that dissolves societal constructs and [ ... ]
Based in New York, Alkadhi has academic degrees in art, engineering, and design – and as a result brings a multidisciplinary approach to a practice that engages with the cultural and political realities of global and Middle Eastern events. This [ ... ]
Rooted in Indo-Persian mythology, Ancestral Algorithms feature a series of drawings, paintings, and sculptural works that merge organic and mechanical forms to reimagine the legendary Talking Tree (Derakht-e Sokhangoo) – a mythical being that could speak, listen, and connect the [ ... ]
The regular Alliance Française ciné-apéro evening (a glass of wine and canapés before the screening) this month features this well-reviewed legal drama film starring Daniel Auteul, who also co-wrote and directed it. Jean Monier is a disillusioned lawyer, appointed to [ ... ]
MadCat’s standup team at its regular stop in the Easy Tiger bar in Abu Dhabi's Al Ain Palace. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...
Architect and author Khaled Adham traces the personal and familial impulses that have shaped the Mohandiseen district in Cairo. His research focuses on how late capitalism shaped Cairo’s urban and physical transformations, with particular attention to housing and urbanisation of [ ... ]
The 10th edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival features a wide-ranging agenda featuring 95 exhibitions, 3,200 artworks, and more than 570 events – among them 126 talks and panel discussions, 72 workshops, and 280 portfolio review sessions. There’s also [ ... ]
The Arts Center's mini-Womad for artists who mix modern/Western ideas with traditional/regional styles returns with three good-looking acts (each of whom will play for about an hour, which makes the door price a bit of a bargain). Yasmine Hamdan (above) [ ... ]
The final performance in the UAENO's inaugural concert series, the first with its full ensemble of 70 musicians and 30 choir. The programme: Alexander Borodin Prince Igor – Polovtsian Dances (arr Shakir Hassan) Ercan Saatçi Alisamadim for Qanun and Orchestra [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises "insane laughs every week". The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks.
Dubomedy is bringing its Friday Night Comedy format to Abu Dhabi, specifically a new standup venue at Surf Abu Dhabi's Nalu restaurant on Al Hudayriyat. The Dubai original at Social Distrikt has become a staple of the city’s live entertainment [ ... ]
“Bold, dazzling, and unapologetically fun ... jazz standards and iconic pop hits reimagined into sultry, high-voltage showpieces”. Olesia Glants has a great voice and real stage presence, so this should be a good gig.
What exactly is 'art'? Yasmina Reza's cult comedy classic uses that as the starting point for a caustic examination of the potentially fragile architecture of friendship. One of the three friends has just bought a very expensive painting – it's [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
The now-regular Friday and Saturday dates for late-evening jazz at Dubai Opera's studio appears to be settling into a fine groove. This time it's the Egyptian pianist and composer, one of the Middle East's most distinctive jazz artists, leading a [ ... ]
This first solo exhibition in the Middle East for the SF-based Libyan-Yurok artist takes its title from a poem by Joy Harjo, which considers cycles of transformation across land, water, and time, moving from submerged environments to human settlement and industrial [ ... ]
For the next event in its SAT03 public programme, Sharjah Architecture Triennial presents a conversation on reimagining the city and the possibilities of architecture beyond its conventional boundaries. Led by Vyjayanthi Rao and Tau Tavengwa, Curator and Associate Curator of [ ... ]
The Ukrainian pianist and composer (multiple awards, six studio albums, performances around the world) is back at the Fridge with a new show: working between two grand pianos, he performs pieces that explore the wonder of childhood and the vast [ ... ]
Yasmina Reza's cult comedy classic uses three friends' reactions to an expensive all-white painting to examine the dynamics of friendship. Spoiler alert: it's not really about art per se – the white painting is just the catalyst, but it does [ ... ]
A regular MadCat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" (sic). The cover charge of AED 99 includes two F&B coupons.
Tona is Cuban trumpeter Tonatiut Isidron, well known to Dubai audiences. With his friends he makes up a high-energy quartet that delivers a fusion of classic jazz with modern improvisation. Should be good, even at this slightly elevated price (which [ ... ]
Yasmina Reza's cult comedy classic uses three friends' reactions to an expensive all-white painting to examine the dynamics of friendship. Spoiler alert: it's not really about art per se – the white painting is just the catalyst, but it does [ ... ]
A student-curated exhibition developed by students from the American University of Sharjah under the mentorship of Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, and drawing on works from Barjeel’s noted collection of modern and contemporary Arab [ ... ]
The third Mini Festival promises to transform 25hours Hotel One Central into a vibrant hub for alternative music, creativity, and community – six rooms, live bands, DJs and vinyl selectors, workshops and talks, film screenings, a record fair, and a [ ... ]
Dubomedy's standup night at Social Distrikt returns. This has become a bit of a fixture: good vibes, good comedy, and "you never know who will pop in". Recommended. It's free, but it's popular, so pre-booking is recommended to get a [ ... ]
Known for his dramatic performances, an edgy take on classical crossover, and roguish good looks, the young Serbian piano virtuoso infuses classical music with dance beats while (mostly) keeping his intricate playing to the fore in his arrangements. Mrvica definitely [ ... ]
The acclaimed Japanese choreographer, in town for his performance piece Ink in a couple of days' time, explores how movement becomes conversation. In this workshop, participants learn to sense and respond to the subtle messages within their own bodies and [ ... ]
A one-night special where male and female teams go head-to-head in fast, improvised games. No scripts, no planning — expect fierce rivalry, loads of mischief and some serious acting moves as the judges score each round. By the end of [ ... ]
magpie has long been a fan of the Sharjah Light Festival, the 14th edition of which runs 3 to 15 February. By contrast with the newer Manar Abu Dhabi and Dhai Dubai light art festivals, SLF generally takes a more [ ... ]
Behind the precision of robotics and the poetry of movement lies a story of resilience and grace. In this talk, Huang Yi reflects on how scarcity became a source of creativity and how gratitude continues to guide his work and [ ... ]
Open-air Khaleeji jazz from Boom.Diwan, led by Grammy-nominated guitarist and ethnomusicologist Ghazi Al Mulaifi. Blending Gulf traditions with live improvisation, Boom.Diwan brings a contemporary edge to regional music; for this performance they are joined by the Abu Dhabi Folklore & [ ... ]
The UAE National Orchestra's second concert programme unfolds in three movements: Emerging Love, Passionate Love, and Eternal Love. There's no information about the music, but we're told that "at the heart of this journey, the ney traces a path of [ ... ]
The Courtyard's popular evening of elimination improv. Ten 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 [ ... ]
New work from the Saudi artist, who has been exhibited all over the Middle East since 1999. His practice is shaped by poetry from the Arab world and "the complex intersections between modern spaces and personal freedoms"; he aims to [ ... ]
An expressionist exploration of the city that captures Dubai as it is felt, rather than as it is seen. "Through expressive brushstrokes, colour becomes a language, revealing the city’s complexity – its energy, diversity, and profound contradictions." To 5 February.
The Middle East's newest art fair opens with a core presentation of 87 galleries and 84 artists (more than half of whom come from the region) plus a Special Projects programme of nine large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations, and performances in [ ... ]
Huang Yi was last seen in Abu Dhabi in The Arts Center’s inaugural season, dancing with an industrial robot. This time he takes the ‘dance meets tech’ idea in new directions; in this collaboration with audiovisual pioneer Ryoichi Kurokawa, the [ ... ]
Dubomedy's Friday Night Comedy format comes to Abu Dhabi. "Audiences can expect big laughs, rotating killer line-ups, and a weekly comedy experience done right ..."
It looks as though the Junction has found another small gem – David Lindsay-Abaire's play, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a deeply moving yet surprisingly funny story about a family navigating love, loss, and the search [ ... ]
The Laughter Factory bookers are on a bit of a roll right now, which might be enough to justify the door price hike (from AED 160 to 175). The February tour has another good collection of standups: Paul Tonkinson Terrific [ ... ]
Another good-looking booking for the Jazz Studio series. Errico Cutolo is well known to Dubai's jazz aficionados, especially for nostalgia-soaked shows typically from the big band era. This one hints at Italian classics from his youth ... The price does [ ... ]
A group show with Adel Abidin, Daniele Genadry, Ali Kaeini, Katya Muromtseva, and Melissa Rios that explores "how landscape is transformed in an age of post-human thought, climate disruption, and hybrid perception ... This is a space where nature is [ ... ]
Huma Shoaib has always been an interesting, thoughtful artist, creating patterns from sacred geometry and looking for analogies in life and nature. She often uses paper cut silhouettes layered with detailed graphite drawings that typically adds three-dimensional depth to otherwise [ ... ]
The debut exhibition in the UAE by the emerging Egyptian artist draws inspiration from Hawam's hometown of El Mahalla El Kubra in Gharbeya Governorate – its countryside, colours, and the faces of people who shaped his early life. Working in [ ... ]
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