Move Pause Return

Gallery Isabelle is celebrating its 20th anniversary, not least with this interesting exhibition that grew out of a conversation with Alexie Glass-Kantor, Curatorial Director at Art Dubai Group, around the notion of accumulation – as both a curatorial method and a lived experience. So for this 20-day exhibition, 20 artists have been invited to participate – “artists … who were present from the very beginning, who helped build the ecosystem alongside us, and who have grown, persisted, and moved forward together over time”.

The aim is to reflect “an accumulated history of stories, relationships, and artistic development … Accumulation here speaks to first encounters and decisive turning points, to emblematic works that shifted narratives, to new introductions, neighbours, and the wider community that has enabled the gallery to remain present, relevant, responsive, and adaptable across two decades”.

The exhibition itself features one new work each day during the run: writers, collectors, and curators have been invited to engage closely with a selected work, contributing a short text that responds to their encounter with it. The 20 days will culminate in a reception at the gallery on 11 April, where all works will be exhibited simultaneously to mark “a collective celebration of the scene we have built, sustained, and continue to shape together”.