The final day of performances for this annual show by Sharmila Dance Center, one of the UAE's longest-established dance schools. Currently in its 24th year, this is a show for aspiring performers of all ages – from 7-year-olds to professional [ ... ]
The second exhibition in Efie Gallery’s new Alserkal Avenue location, this group show of film and photography features works by contemporary artists across generations – Samuel Fosso (b.1962), Aïda Muluneh (b.1974), Kelani Abass (b.1978), Abeer Sultan (b.1999) and Sumayah Fallatah [ ... ]
A Jameel Library Commission by the Palestinian artist and educator that explores regional myths and legends through ten monthly texts – chapters in fact, in digital form – that address an imagined foetus (referred to as a “child of myths") [ ... ]
The first-ever Kutubna Community Day – "a full day of creativity and connection" at the bookstore and cultural centre in Nadd Al Hamar. There are a lot of kids' activities, including storytime for children (in multiple languages) and art workshops [ ... ]
The final performance of the Abu Dhabi Choral Group’s Summer Revue. This "hilarious and heartwarming" adaptation of the popular film, a successful Broadway and West End musical (music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire) is based on [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
A second show for Hans Zimmer, on stage with his orchestra and choir performing arrangements from the Oscar-winning composer’s stellar back catalogue. Recommended.
Exactly 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 improv. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]
The Dubai iteration of this show, which is presented in collaboration with Kamel Lazaar Foundation and has previously been shown at B7L9 Art Centre in Tunis, introduces a new body of work in blown glass – a departure from Béchir’s [ ... ]
The Fridge's showcase gig series continues with Hadi X and a completely new show that moves between EDM drops and quiet indie songwriting. Support comes from Ma2am, "reshaping how Arabic music sounds today ... through deep rhythm, raw emotion, and reworked rap [ ... ]
A timely documentary by French-Senegalese filmmaker and actress Mati Diop which won the Golden Bear at this year's Berlin International Film Festival. The film follows the return of 26 royal treasures from France to the Republic of Benin, tracing the [ ... ]
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". [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
Exactly 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 improv. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]
Jameel’s Summer Cinema, organised in collaboration with The Culturist Film Club and curated by Hind Mezaina, ia a season of free-to-attend films about cities, archives, and the ways we live and remember together – plus a special evening celebrating David [ ... ]
The worldwide smash hit arrives in Abu Dhabi with its heartwarming story (the lighthearted and humorous tale of a mother, her daughter, and three possible fathers on an idyllic Greek island), created by Judy Craymer – who rarely gets the [ ... ]
A stand-up night promising "fresh voices and sharp material" from. Maher Barwany, Roxy, Rula Korban, and Amin Soltani.
Set in a Venetian boarding school for orphaned girls at the end of the 18th century, Gloria! tells the story of a group of talented young musicians who are dteermined to make music. There's a mischievous musical anachronism at the [ ... ]
The Courtyard's most peopular 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 [ ... ]
This exhibition brings together four artists from the Atassi Foundation collection – Walid El-Masri, Farouq Kondakji, Rida Hus Hus, and Omar Hamdi – whose work reimagines the landscape not as a fixed geography, but as a space of memory, metaphor, [ ... ]
The noted Ukrainian double pianist makes classical music accessible without losing its depth, "blending familiar influences with a modern touch" as the promoter puts it. For this performance he will play both a baby grand and a Roland electric piano, [ ... ]
Much-awarded black-and-white fantasy thriller, based on Nigerian folklore. Said the LA Times: "That balance between light and dark is how Obasi most potently underscores all his themes: faith and proof, tradition versus modernity, the otherworldly alongside the human, and of [ ... ]
Top a capella action from Abu Dhabi's long-standing (since 2008) and always excellent singing group, noted for dynamic performances on a wide range of material. This time the show features "iconic songs from the silver screen" with "delicious movie theatre [ ... ]
A chance to see the noted Canadian master guitarist, composer, and producer performing live. He's accompanied by Fethi Nadjem (violin, mandole), Dan Minchom (bass), Matt Sellick (guitar), and either Matais Recharte or Marito Marques (drums, cajón, percussion) – and there's [ ... ]
Mad Cat Comedy returns to the Clavichord in TECOM with "Dubai's wildest comedy night ... raw, unfiltered, hilarious". The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
This month's Laughter Factory tour has another good crop of stand-ups. The acts: Marlon Davis effortlessly confident stand-up who began performing on the UK’s black comedy circuit and quickly graduated to a wider audience, including several Edinburgh Festival Fringes, the [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
Thomas Lélu’s practice interweaves photography, installation art, and textual elements, frequently featuring the appropriation and recontextualisation of imagery from popular culture and media to interrogate themes of contemporary society, consumerism, and media representation. His methodology of exploration, archiving, and contextualization [ ... ]
Ahmad Kasha’s complete War Series (2018–2025) is presented here for the first time in association with Fann à Porter. Influenced by various traditions of war art, the series reflects on the psychological toll of violence on people, animals, nature, and [ ... ]
A two-day masterclass with Chafa Ghaddar on the fresco technique. Through a blend of theoretical discussion and practical hands-on exercises, this two-part programme invites you to examine how bodies and elements are held within and around surfaces, and to experiment [ ... ]
Subtitled 'Objects as Anchors: Material, Narrative, and Memory', this panel discussion riffs on the recently-opened Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits exhibition at this venue (runs to 30 June and is well worth seeing). As the blurb puts it: [ ... ]
The second weekend for this month's Laughter Factory tour starts in Abu Dhabi. The acts: Marlon Davis effortlessly confident stand-up who began performing on the UK’s black comedy circuit and quickly graduated to a wider audience, including several Edinburgh Festival [ ... ]
A second UAE date for the noted guitarist, accompanied by Fethi Nadjem (violin, mandole), Dan Minchom (bass), Matt Sellick (guitar), and either Matais Recharte or Marito Marques (drums, cajón, percussion) – and there's a special guest star, top oud soloist [ ... ]
Another Mad Cat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" (sic). The cover charge of AED 99 includes two drinks.
The second stop for this month's Laughter Factory tour has another good crop of stand-ups. The acts: Marlon Davis effortlessly confident stand-up who began performing on the UK’s black comedy circuit and quickly graduated to a wider audience, including several [ ... ]
An exhibition showcasing the artistic journey of the Emirati artist known for his ability to capture maritime heritage and coastal landscapes through the interplay between nature and time; he characteristically incorporates elements of rust, waves, and the textures of the [ ... ]
The second solo exhibition by Nima Nabavi at the gallery features new works that mark a significant evolution in the artist's practice, reflecting a deepened commitment to introspection, geometry, and modes of making that embrace technology alongside traditional tools. Created [ ... ]
The first solo exhibition at Gallery Isabelle for the UAE-based Indian artist. Her practice spans drawing, performance, object-making, food interventions, and assemblage; says the gallery, "inviting us to engage with liminality, her work challenges the normative categories that shape our [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
Second and last of two shows by Abu Dhabi's long-standing (since 2008) and always excellent a capella group. This time the show features "iconic songs from the silver screen" with "delicious movie theatre dishes" on offer too. Note the early [ ... ]
A Mad Cat Comedy night, which usually means a good one, in a new venue. The cover charge of AED 99 includes one drink.
A comedykix standup gig, as usual promising "Dubai’s finest comedians" – and "don’t forget to come with an open mind". The door price is redeemable on F&B.
Zhou Song's solo show echoes traditional Chinese landscape painting but employs symbolic imagery to explore relationships between nature, technology, and faith. The 'anthropomorphic tree' is central, serving as a metaphor for nature’s alienation by technology – "these trees retain natural [ ... ]
The fourth film from veteran actor Vincent Perez is set in 1887 Paris, when illegal duals were common practice. The drama follows the blood feud that slowly develops between fencing master Clément Lacaze (Roschdy Zem), desperate to dissuade his nephew [ ... ]
Superfast comedy – comics get one minute at the mic, the audience votes, one winner takes it all. Fast, raw, unpredictable: what more could you want from a Tuesday evening in Abu Dhabi?
Ayyam Gallery’s summer group show celebrates and questions the current siutation in Syria with works by Kais Salman, Khaled Takreti, Tammam Azzam, Abdalla Al Omari, Othman Moussa, Safwan Dahoul, Thaier Helal, Elias Izoli, Abdul-Karim Majd Al-Beik, Mohannad Orabi, Nihad Al-Turk, [ ... ]
The Courtyard's most peopular 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 [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
The new body of work in this solo exhibition marks a turning point in Ihab Ahmad’s practice – "a move toward instinct, spontaneity, and emotional exploration" as the gallery puts it. Smiling faces populate the canvases, each a reflection of [ ... ]
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