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The National
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Must-see exhibitions by Sama Alshaibi and Shilpa Gupta
A new wave of solo exhibitions is rolling across galleries and institutions in the UAE. Diasporic experiences represented by flowers, paintings ruminating on psychological states through fables and a project aimed at capturing the palimpsest-like nature of Baghdad, here are four exhibitions to see this weekend. The title of Sama Alshaibi's solo exhibition at Ayyam Gallery is drawn from the Arabic word for palimpsest. The Iraqi-Palestinian artist is presenting a series of mixed-media collages and video works that present Baghdad as a site of fragmented narratives and memories. Alshaibi travelled to the Iraqi capital between 2021 and 2023, using LiDar technology to document its streets, landmarks and marshlands. She captured structures and the flow of daily life. The works featured in the exhibition are drawn from data mappings, archival materials and photographs. Together, they form a thoughtful exploration of a city that is constantly adapting to new geopolitical realities. Monday to Friday, 10am – 6pm; Saturday, 12pm – 6pm; until May 30; Ayyam Gallery, Dubai Maitha Abdalla's works bloom from the seams between the real and the uncanny. The Emirati artist, whose practice spans several mediums, often uses folktales and myths to explore themes such as psychology, social conditioning and gender. Her solo exhibition at Abu Dhabi's cultural foundation reflects upon these topics through a mix of painting and sculptures that toe the line between the figurative and the abstract. Saturday to Thursday, 9am – 8pm; Friday, 2pm – 8pm; until August 30; Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi In her first regional solo exhibition, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons references the flora and fauna of Latin America, the Middle East and Africa to examine experiences of diaspora. The Cuban artist touches upon experiences of unity and longing in her works. Her paintings and sculptures are vibrant, brimming with hibiscus, sugarcanes and guava leaves. The works come together as an arresting exploration of the connection between landscapes and collective memories. Monday to Saturday, 11am – 7pm; until Thursday; Efie Gallery, Dubai Shilpa Gupta: Lines Of Flight at Ishara Art Foundation Shilpa Gupta's first solo exhibition in the Middle East is being held at the Ishara Art Foundation. It presents a large body of work, produced since 2006. The artworks, though ranging in medium, all have a central preoccupation in that they challenge the notions of border, terrestrial and political. Some drawings highlight works by poets from around the world who faced persecution, showing how their writings transcended demarcations. A room-filled installation, titled Listening Air, meanwhile, features songs of resistance, emanating from microphones that move across the space. Monday to Saturday, 10am – 7pm; until May 31; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai
The National
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Beirut as a regional hub for modern abstract art and Sharjah Biennial
A slate of new exhibitions and events in the UAE are highlighting cross-cultural connections but in very different ways. From a show that shares how Lebanon was at a crossroads for abstract artists from across the Arab world to an examination of the poetry of resistance, which reveals how they echo beyond borders and with a universal timbre, here are a few exhibitions to see this week. A pioneering figure of abstract art in the region, Nadia Saikali's spotlight is perhaps long overdue. The Lebanese artist's work ranges across a variety of mediums and styles, despite them often veering towards abstraction. From her early gestural work to the line-based paintings and sprawling landscape canvases in the later stages of her career, Saikali's work is at the heart of a new show at Sharjah's Maraya Art Centre. Yet, the exhibition – co-organised with the Barjeel Art Foundation – opens up to feature works by her contemporaries, all of whom are women. The artists come from across the Arab world, but they all spent time reducing work in Beirut during the 1960s and 1970s. As such, Beirut becomes the star of the exhibition, showing how the city was a regional hub for artists. Saturday to Thursday, 10am-7pm; Friday, 4pm-7pm; until July 13; Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah Shilpa Gupta's first solo exhibition in the Middle East is being held at the Ishara Art Foundation. The exhibition presents a large body of work, produced since 2006. The artworks, though ranging in medium, all have a central preoccupation in that they challenge the notions of border, terrestrial and political. Some drawings highlight works by poets from around the world who faced persecution, showing how their writings transcended demarcations. A room-filled installation, titled Listening Air, meanwhile, features songs of resistance, emanating from microphones that move across the space. Monday to Saturday, 10am-7pm; until May 31; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai Tunisian artist Karim Jabbari, whose practice involves light and calligraphy, is presenting a solo exhibition at Inloco Gallery. The pieces, created as part of his residency in Dubai, examine the importance of tradition in a contemporary world. The works show how poetry is a starting point for Jabbari's art as well. Several calligraphic pieces take cues from the Arabic poetry that Jabbari found in his father's library. The exhibition also features documentation of his light calligraphy pieces, showing how the artist engages with disparate traditions and cultures to create something idiosyncratic. The exhibition comes as part of Inloco Gallery's third season and includes an art intervention in Satwa, as well as performances by Jabbari and Emirati artist Khalil Abdulwahid. Monday to Wednesday, noon-7pm; Thursday to Friday, noon-8pm; Inloco Gallery, Dubai Sharjah's prestigious art event is back. It is showcasing 650 works by almost 200 artists, including 200 commissioned works. The biennial will be taking place under the title "To Carry", reflecting the memories and traditions we individually carry with us. The event is running across 17 venues in Sharjah, including locations in Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid and Kalba. The event opens on Thursday and will be running until June 15. It is curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Oz. The biennial is running in several locations across Sharjah. More information at
