Exhibitions to Visit in Dubai - Winter/Spring 2025
A recommendation of exhibitions in Dubai that I plan to visit in the coming month or two. So far I’ve only seen the exhibition at Ishara Art Foundation, but I made this list as a reminder to myself about the other exhibitions, and maybe readers from in Dubai might find it useful too.
The order of the exhibitions are based on their opening dates.
Images and extracted text are from the exhibition websites/Instagram accounts.
Arab Journalism Exhibition
Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, 7th Floor
November 2024 - No end date listed
The exhibition hosts more than 500 periodicals covering various topics, distributed across 7 main sections:
Women
Children
Literature
Art
UAE Journalism
Specialised Journalism
Newspapers
Shilpa Gupta: Lines of Flight
Ishara Art Foundation
January 18 - May 31
Featuring a diverse selection of artworks from 2006 to the present that include a new sound installation, site-specific interventions, sculptures, drawings, prints and videos, the exhibition foregrounds Gupta’s longstanding critical engagement with narratives of mobility, control and acts of resilience.
Curated by Sabih Ahmed.
https://www.ishara.org/exhibition/shilpa-gupta-lines-of-flight/
Dance Will Be You
Efiɛ Gallery
January 24 – March 20
Dance Will Be You is a dialogue with artists practicing art as an act of transcendence, devotion, and freedom, collectively offering a presentation of nuanced explorations into the symbolic and performative dimensions of contemporary African art.
Borrowing its title from Sonia Sanchez’s We a BaddDDD People (1970), the exhibition echoes her reflections on transformative expression and unity. The title reflects the rhythmic and dynamic essence of Sanchez’s poetry, where movement becomes both a metaphor and a call—a dance that embodies the multiplicity of forms, states of being, and expressions.
Artists:
Magdalena Campos-Pons (Cuba)
J.K. Bruce-Vanderpuije (British Accra, Gold Coast [Now Ghana])
Dina Nur Satti (Sudan/Somalia)
Myles Igwebuike (Nigeria/USA)
Hoda Tawakol: My Mothers: The Siren, the Vessel, the Womb
Gallery Isabelle
February 4 - March 28
The exhibition takes its title from My Mothers, a three-channel video composed of stitched Super-8 film fragments from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s exploring the intertwined stories of three key maternal figures in the artist’s life: her mother Honey, her grandmother Toutou, and her childhood caretaker Hosneia.
Using archival footage, family photographs, and intricate materials, the works delve into the tension between tenderness and control, nurturing and resistance. With a deeply personal lens, Tawakol reclaims the female body as a site of transformation, resilience, and creation.
https://www.ivde.net/exhibitions/78-my-mothers-the-siren-the-vessel-the-womb/
Seher Shah: Of Dust and Woven Air
Green Art Gallery
February 4 – April 5
There is an unknown quality that materials hold by weaving histories and cultures speaking to each other. I thought of this material resonance when I first read Agha Shahid Ali’s poem, The Dacca Gauzes. His words evoked memories of my maternal family and the cities they inhabited; a cartography between the real and imagined. I found myself tracing lines across the subcontinent; connecting Chittagong to Chennai and Kochi and, across the Arabian Sea, to the port of Karachi. Cities connected by the memories of those whom I hold dear.
Memories, submerged in history, grasp for their own measurements of understanding. Of something no longer ours to hold.
Of Dust and Woven Air are studies into absence and memory through drawing, printmaking and poetry. A poetry of loss and erasure revealed in line, form and materiality on paper. Working with dust and its accumulations, I draw on Bengal muslin (gauze), the ethereal cloth of Agha Shahid Ali’s poem.
Slavs and Tatars: Simurgh Self-Help
The Third Line
February 4 - April 4
This exhibition presents a new body of work inspired by Marcel Broodthaers’ Musée d'Art Moderne - Département des Aigles (1968-1972), one of the most influential works of conceptual art of the 20th century.
In Simurgh Self-Help, Slavs and Tatars embark on an inventive ‘translation’ of the eagle through the lens of Simurgh, a mythical bird deeply rooted in Turkic and Persianate folklore, Sufi traditions, and the literature of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
https://thethirdline.com/exhibitions/82-slavs-and-tatars-simurgh-self-help/
Next Chapter, Edition 1
Foundry, Gallery 8
February 5 - March 5
Next Chapter, Edition 1, marks the beginning of a series of annual exhibitions, each shaped by a unique concept.
This year’s focus is on the interplay between cultural roots and contemporary challenges in visual arts. Featuring artists from Iran and Arab countries of the Middle East, this exhibition brings together diverse perspectives and approaches, presenting works that honor the past while looking toward the future.
In addition to showcasing established and renowned artists, the exhibition introduces a new generation of voices, whose innovative ideas are redefining the contemporary art scene. By combining these two generations, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to explore diverse artistic expressions and the evolving dialogue between tradition and innovation.
Curated by Sahar Seyedjafar.
Artists:
Fereydoun Ave, Abdul Rahim Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, Nicky Nodjoumi, Najat Makki, Behrang Samadzadegan, Fahad Al Naymah, Ghada Khunji, Hussein Madi, Hassan Al Meer, Mohammed Alshammarey, Babak Etminani, Maryam Al Homaid, Ali Soltani, Maryam Abedi, Areen Hassan, Tanya Azizi Asl, Hiva Alizadeh, Stephany Sanossian, Fariba Boroufar, Mona Jula, Mohammad Mardi
https://www.emaarmalls.ae/foundry-events/next-chapter-edition-1/
Solimar Miller: Symphony of the Wetlands
XVA Gallery
February 15 – March 20
Symphony of the Wetlands invites you to embark on a captivating journey through the enchanting world of mangroves that grace coastlines around the world, with a special focus on the rich ecosystems of Southwestern Asia. This exhibition is an ode to these vital ecosystems, celebrating their inherent tranquility and the intricate tapestry of endangered wildlife thriving within their protective embrace.
Weaving a Third Space
1604 Art Space
February 20 - 27
The culmination of an eight-week shared studio practice, where collaboration has shaped not only our work but also our ways of seeing, thinking, and making. Weaving a Third Space is an invitation into a creative sanctuary: one built on trust, dialogue, and a deep sense of belonging.
Artists: Elham Shafaei, Natalya Konforti, Sulpha Mohammed
https://www.instagram.com/1604.artspace
Paper Jam
Hobb Design & Visual Culture Bookshop
February 21 - March 3
An exhibition showcasing works from the American University of Sharjah’s (AUS) inaugural papermaking course, taught by Hala Al-Ani within the College of Architecture, Art, and Design (CAAD).
Participating Students:
Tala Husam Al Ali, Judi Hassan Al Hourani, Mariam Abdalla Aljuwaied, Mariam Sultan Alqasimi, Maha Hassan Arafat, Engy Amr Asar, Maitha Rashid Binfahd, Roudha Ahmad Bu Abdulla, Noorzada Moheeb Darwish, Nagham Mohamed Elbaz, Thuraya Ahmed Ezzulddin, Leena Mazin Fadhil, Tamara Ayad Khalaf, Beesan Issa Awad Odtallah, Hafsah Qureshi, Kamar Tello Alnachawati, Abeer Fatima Zaidi
Hady Boraey: Migrants to the North
Fann À Porter
February 22 - April 5
A series of new works by the artist that delve into themes of memory, nostalgia, and childhood. The artist’s inherently sculptural portrait style is ever-present in the works.
Inspired by ancient Egyptian and Coptic art, Boraey heavily depends on metaphors, taking his audience on a dramatic journey filled with poetic nuances, to coax them into new territory beyond their comfort zones, where new horizons await.
https://www.fannaporter.com/exhibitions/82-migrants-to-the-north-hady-boraey-solo-exhibition/works/
Nadine Ghandour: Rooms for Error
Bayt Al Mamzar
February 23 - May 18
Bringing together recent works informed by Nadine Ghandour’s experiences in cities, including Dubai, Sharjah, Cairo and Rotterdam, the exhibition explores the various ways architecture shapes the psyche of city residents in environments that develop at hyper speeds. Through drawing, writing, performance and sculpture, the artist creates fictional and often absurd scenarios that explore the complexities of living in a fast-forward city.
Curated by Dawn Ross.
[Update: Additional exhibitions added on March 23]
Noor Al Suwaidi: MatiSsage: A Fusion of Color & Form
Alliance Française
March 18 - 28
MatiSsage: A Fusion of Color & Form draws a compelling parallel between the artistic philosophies of Noor Al Suwaidi and Henri Matisse. Both artists translate emotion into visual rhythm, using colour as a universal language to convey harmony and transformation.
Like Matisse, whose travels shaped his artistic vision, Al Suwaidi’s experiences across Rome, Amsterdam, Tunis, and upstate New York breathe life into her fluid compositions.
Influenced by the improvisational nature of jazz, Al Suwaidi, much like Matisse, allows music to guide her brushstrokes, creating a dynamic interplay of sound and form. Her work also embraces the rich heritage of Islamic art while pushing the boundaries of modern abstraction, forging a dialogue between past and present, tradition and innovation.
Silence & Noise
XVA Gallery
March 20 – April 17
The connection between silence and noise, minimalism and maximalism, is explored in a duo show featuring the artworks of Ali Zolghadri and Niga Sayyed.
This exhibition contrasts contemporary and traditional art: Ali’s work merges modern photography, while Niga’s pieces evolve from traditional printmaking to contemporary mixed media.
Ali’s black-and-white photographs, minimal in style and embodying silence, focus on space, stillness, and light, reducing moments to their most essential forms.
On the other hand, Niga’s work resonates with the sounds of the past, capturing quiet stories often forgotten.
The exhibition invites viewers to engage with this unique visual conversation and create their own personal reflections on memory.
Vanishing Points: Imran Qureshi
Concrete, Alserkal Avenue
April 13-20
Step into contemporary South Asian cityscapes through the astute gaze of Imran Qureshi in Vanishing Points featuring new works—including photography, video, painting, and a site-specific installation.
A leading artist from the acclaimed Lahore school of contemporary Indo-Persian miniature painting, Qureshi is known for his innovative reimagining of a classical form. His lens captures the multiple temporalities of a city where Mughal and Sikh architectural backgrounds fold into a boisterous post-industrial present. Here, the surface holds multiple narratives within one frame, defying the single-point perspective of European convention.
Rather than lament the disappearance of craft, Imran works collaboratively with skilled practitioners to create tactile and immersive experiences–reconceiving the world-as-miniature.
Curated by Nada Raza.
https://alserkal.online/event/vanishing-points-imran-qureshi/
Sama Alshaibi: طرس (Tterss)
Ayyam Gallery
April 15 - May 30
Sama Alshaibi’s project focuses on the spatial, material, and technological fragments that narrate the story of a place and its people. After a 40-year separation, Alshaibi returns to her homeland on multiple trips between 2021 and 2023.
Longing to reorient herself with a city she had once known more through imagination than lived experience, she does so through various layers of mediums and imagery to reconstruct an abstracted and interrupted history and reality.
Working with the archives of several architects, including the renowned Iraqi Rifat Chadirji, ‘طرس’, also draws inspiration from Andreas Huyssen’s writings on ‘miniatures’ of urban reality, using them to frame Baghdad through Alshaibi’s lens.
https://www.ayyamgallery.com/exhibitions/272-tterss-sama-alshaibi/works/
Asunción Molinos Gordo: The Peasant, the Scholar and the Engineer
Jameel Arts Centre
April 16 – September 21
Throughout her practice, Asunción Molinos Gordo centres the perspectives and knowledge of farming communities. She celebrates their expertise as intellectuals and engineers who design complex systems for tending to the land and growing crops, reflecting their ability to organise the world.
The Peasant, the Scholar and the Engineer spans fifteen years of Molinos Gordo’s work, tracing her journey from foundational artwork on food systems and agriculture in Egypt and the Arab world to recent investigations of Arab and Muslim heritage in her native Spain.