If you can hardly imagine yourself spending your day off outside a museum or an art gallery, you will certainly find this article helpful: we have selected several exhibitions which are worth visiting this April. To enjoy some eye-catching abstract art or to dive in the history of dagger making in the UAE? Here are ten options for you to choose.
1. DO ARABS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
ICD Brookfield Place Arts is holding the group show “Do Arabs Dream of Electric Sheep?” which features Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Haitham Haddad, Meriem Bennani, Tracy Chahwan, and Walid Bouchouchi (Studio Akakir). In their displayed works, the artists reimagine popular views of what an Arab future looks like. The exhibition will be closed on June 6, 2023. To learn more, please visit its official web page.
2. Dagger Craftsmanship in the UAE
Until May 24, 2023, one has an opportunity to visit “Dagger Craftsmanship in the UAE: A Craft of Authenticity and Creativity” at the Sharjah Heritage Museum. The exhibition is dedicated to the craft of making traditional daggers. Visitors can learn about various types of daggers, their designs, and the crafting process itself.
3. Omani Civilization: History and Development
Collaborating with the Oman National Museum, the Sharjah Archaeology Museum is holding the exhibition “Omani Civilization: History and Development”. The show tells about the strong cultural and historical bonds between the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman and also lets visitors learn about the life of the original inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula until the rise of Islam. The exhibition will be open to the public on June 7, 2023.
4. Memory for the Future by Javlon Umarbekov
Andakulova Gallery in Dubai presents Memory for the Future, a solo exhibition of Javlon Umarbekov, one of the prominent Uzbek artists. In his work, Umarbekov interprets his cultural heritage in an original way and calls for a free dialogue between the Western and the Eastern cultures. Inspired by his childhood memories, the artist creates ironic and grotesque paintings which are full of metaphors and which convey a philosophical message. The show will be open to the public until April 20, 2023. To learn more, please visit the gallery’s official website.
5. Around The Sun All Year Long by Sylvia Ong
Foundry is currently hosting Malaysian artist Sylvia Ong’s solo show titled Around The Sun All Year Long. Expressive and colourful, the exhibited paintings reflect not only how the artist perceives the “outer” reality, but also depict her inner world. The exhibition will end on May 5, 2023. To learn more about the exhibition, please visit its official web page.
6. Fire by Fereydoun Ave
Until April 30, 2023, one has a chance to look at impressive artworks by Fereydoun Ave, a contemporary Iranian artist. His solo exhibition Fire is being held in the Total Arts gallery. According to the artist himself, the displayed series of paintings “was triggered by a surgical intervention that surrounded [him] with blood + more blood + light.” Ave says he wishes “that this optimistic series on paper will cleanse.” You can learn more about the exhibition on its official web page.
7. Pamela Enyonu: Kopotu Ipikosi (And They Overcame)
AKKA Projects presents the solo exhibition of Ugandan artist Pamela Enyonu; it will end on April 10, 2023. The show’s theme is fear. The artist explores it as a phenomenon: what positions it is experienced from and what effects it has on individuals and entire communities. More information about the exhibition is on its official web page.
8. Isshaq Ismail: Beyond the Fence Begins the Sky
Ghanaian artist Isshaq Ismail has his latest paintings being displayed at Efiɛ Gallery, Dubai. His solo show titled Beyond the Fence Begins the Sky will end on May 29, 2023. In the artworks featured in it, Ismail explores the idea of repetition and questions conceptions of beauty: he depicts figures with complex moods placed against serene utopian backdrops while considering the adversities they face. To get more information about the exhibition, please visit its official web page.
9. Chafa Ghadda: Beneath Latent Skies
The Tabari Artspace gallery is hosting Beneath Latent Skies, Chafa Ghaddar’s solo exhibition, which will end on April 27, 2023. Working with various media and exploring the fresco mural painting technique in a unique way, in her artworks this Lebanese artist explores the body as a landscape. She delves in such themes as eroticism, violence, movement, temporality, love, despair, and repair. To learn more about the show, please visit its official web page.
10. NOT ONLY DIGITAL
Until 30 April 2023, the Oblong Contemporary Art Gallery in Dubai is holding NOT ONLY DIGITAL, a group show featuring three artists: Annalù, Marco Lodola, and Emre Namyete. In the show, the two horizons of today’s art and collecting meet each other: the more traditional one based on materially existing works and that of NFTs: artworks on digital support. You can find more information about the show on its official web page.
