In the Gulf region, April 2026 unfolds as a moment of reflection and resonance within the cultural landscape. From meditations on ecology and memory to explorations of language and heritage, art shows across the region reveal a shared preoccupation with continuity and transformation. Here is our list of the top 10 notable exhibitions on display in April.
1. Invisible Fish by Saif Azzuz
At Lawrie Shabibi, Invisible Fish brings together a body of work by Libyan–Yurok artist Saif Azzuz that contemplates water as both a physical and symbolic force. Running through 3 April 2026, the show traces ecological and cultural histories of the UAE before rapid urbanisation. Azzuz approaches land and sea as interconnected, living systems, foregrounding their role in sustaining life and shaping patterns of migration.
2. Native Plants in the UAE
The Sharjah Heritage Museum is holding Local Plants in the UAE: From the Roots of the Past to the Shades of the Present, an exhibition that explores the significance of indigenous flora in Emirati life. Featuring 46 plant species, the show highlights their historical uses in food, medicine, shelter, and traditional crafts. It also focuses on the symbolic presence of plants in oral traditions and folklore, offering insight into how natural knowledge was embedded within everyday life. The exhibition will remain open until 22 April 2026.
3. The Bouquet and the Wreath by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook
On view at Jameel Arts Centre, this exhibition marks the first major international survey of celebrated Thai artist Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook. Presented as part of a two-venue project that opened at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, the show remains on view until 12 April 2026. Bringing together works produced over the last 45 years alongside newly commissioned pieces, it offers a deeply poetic insight into an artistic practice defined by intimacy, contemplation, and reflections on existence.
4. Poetry of Birds
Meanwhile, L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewellery Arts, is hosting the Poetry of Birds exhibition that examines avian imagery across Islamic art and Western jewellery traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Open until 25 April 2026, the show features about 150 objects, including jewellery pieces, precious artefacts, and drawings. Displayed alongside carpets, ceramics, and miniatures from regional collections, they reveal the enduring symbolic and aesthetic significance of birds across cultures.
5. Rays, Ripples, Residue
Marking a decade of programming, 421 Arts Campus presents Rays, Ripples, Residue, a collective exhibition that reflects on ten years of artistic production in the UAE. On view until 26 April 2026, the show revisits key ideas, materials, and collaborations that have shaped the trajectory of 421. Featuring artists such as Lamya Gargash, Sarah Daher, and Pratchaya Phinthong, among many others, the exhibition considers what persists both materially and conceptually within an evolving cultural ecosystem.
6. Here, Now by Asma Bahmim
This solo exhibition by Saudi artist Asma Bahmim explores the fragility of the present moment. Her works dwell on unresolved experiences and states of uncertainty, positioning the present as a space of tension between stability and flux. Among the exhibited pieces is Circle Star from the Nebula series, executed with natural pigments on handmade paper. The show is taking place at ATHR Gallery in Jeddah and will be open to the public until 30 April 2026.
7. Threshold by Sultan Bin Fahad
Also at ATHR Gallery, Threshold is a solo exhibition by Saudi artist Sultan Bin Fahad, running through 30 April 2026. It invites contemplation of the boundaries between material and spiritual realms. Through a series of installations and sculptural pieces, the artist examines the notion of the threshold as a physical and metaphysical passage, an in-between space where transformation occurs.
8. Shaped by Stone: The Tools that Made Prehistoric Qatar
On view at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum until 30 April 2026, this exhibition is organised in collaboration with Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) and Qatar Museums. It offers a detailed look into the Stone Age in Qatar. Featuring over 110 artefacts, which include tools such as arrowheads, axes, and knives, the show traces early human adaptation and craftsmanship.
9. Urdu Worlds
Ishara Art Foundation is hosting Urdu Worlds, an exhibition exploring the Urdu language as both subject and medium. Through a dialogue between Pakistani artist Ali Kazim and American Indian-born artist Zarina, the show examines how language shapes perception and constructs meaning. Rather than merely describing reality, words are presented as active agents in forming personal and collective narratives. The last day of the exhibition will be 31 May 2026.
10. Of Land and Water: Works from SAF Collection
At Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF), this exhibition presents rarely shown large-scale works from its collection. Curated by Jiwon Lee, the show is structured around the concept of tanah air (land and water), a term that evokes both homeland and the connections between different geographies. Displaying works by nine artists and collectives, the exhibition will run through 31 May 2026.
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