The Cultural Foundation is currently holding And After, a contemplative group exhibition curated by Dirwaza Curatorial Lab. The show brings together works by 15 contemporary artists who explore the elemental qualities of air through evocative Arabic concepts. One will be able to attend the exhibition until 22 February 2026.
Rather than presenting air in purely scientific terms, the show engages with it through Arabic language and cultural concepts, using words such as Sukoon (stillness and pause between movements); Hawaa (the everyday, gentle quality of air); Naseem (a soft breeze); and Riyah (stronger winds and shifting currents). These ideas guide visitors through varying states of calm and motion, inviting reflection on how air shapes inner rhythms, perception, and our relationship with the environment.
At its core, And After reflects on subtle transitions and moments of pause: the quiet spaces between movement, like the breath held between inhale and exhale. By foregrounding these intervals, the exhibition encourages a meditative awareness of how transformation unfolds quietly over time, and how nature and language intertwine to shape meaning. Visitors are invited to slow down and attune themselves to shifts in atmosphere, considering how even slight changes in air can influence mood, thoughts, and emotions.
Among the participants are Kuwaiti artist Yousif Abdulsaid (The florist from nothingness), famous for his experimental floral installations, and Jawad Al Malhi, whose multimedia work frequently bridges traditional motifs with modern abstraction. Also featured are Singapore-based artist Leila Shirazi, who examines memory, identity, and displacement through layered visual language, and Kuwaiti-born artist and educator Razan AlSarraf, who employs painting, drawing, video, and sound to reflect on human relationships with land and landscape.
Also on display are works by Emirati creatives, such as Mariam Al Khoori, Moza Al Falasi, photographer and designer Omar Al Gurg, artist, author, and curator Reem Al Mubarak, and artist and researcher Salmah Al Mansoori. Al Falasi’s practice often engages with materiality and cultural signifiers in subtle, introspective ways, while Al Gurg draws on personal experience and Arab heritage to explore overlooked narratives and ecological changes. Al Mubarak takes cues from poetry and nature, capturing the nuances of human connection and emotion in her work. Meanwhile, in her practice, Al Mansoori examines the intersections of identity, memory, and place.
Other Emirati creatives taking part in the exhibition include Mohammed Kazem, an internationally recognised artist known for his conceptual engagement with time, direction, and perception, and Ammar Al Attar, whose work blends photography with painted elements to explore ritual and repetition in everyday settings.
The participating artists also include Pakistani artist and musician Zara Mahmood, recognised for her practice that focuses on themes of memory, environment, and the human form; Bahraini experimental artist Abdulla Buhijji, a member of the collective Theories of Imagination (TOFI); Saudi artist Ayman Zedani, whose investigative practice questions our understanding of the past and future; and Scotland-born artist Iman Shaggag.
For more information about And After, please visit the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting Invisible Fish by Saif Azzuz.
