October’s art calendar in the Gulf region moves between vastly different scales and subjects, from the mathematical precision of Bernar Venet’s sculptures to the layered histories of the Red Sea. Across the region, artists and cultural institutions are finding new ways to explore memory, identity, and belonging, often blurring the boundaries between art, everyday life, and the environments we inhabit. Here are our top 10 exhibitions you should not miss in October 2026.
1. Red Wind, Coral Worlds
This group exhibition at Hayy Jameel explores the historical, cultural, and environmental relationships that have shaped the Red Sea over centuries. Bringing together 18 artists, the show considers how trade, pilgrimage, and migration have influenced the region’s interconnected communities, leaving traces in its cultural memory and shared histories. Curated by Huda Tayob and Miriam Hillawi Abraham, the exhibition will be open to the public until 26 October 2026.
2. Unseen Script
At Rizq Art Initiative (RAi), Unseen Script spotlights the often-overlooked structures of everyday life and explores how habits, memories, and observation shape our experience of the world. The exhibition features ten creatives whose visual languages intersect through an interest in repetition and the subjects to which artists continually return. By drawing attention to recurring gestures, patterns, and preoccupations, the show considers how seemingly ordinary experiences can acquire deeper significance. Curated by Meena Vari, Unseen Script will end on 28 October 2026.
3. Allusive Veil by Hisham Sharif
Ayyam Gallery has organised Allusive Veil, a solo exhibition by Bahraini artist Hisham Sharif, whose practice approaches lived experience through a vulnerable and nuanced perspective. The title suggests an interest in the layers through which personal and collective realities are encountered. Visitors are prompted to reflect on what is revealed, concealed, or left open to interpretation. The show will remain on display until 30 October 2026.
4. Infrared
Until 31 October 2026, NIKA Project Space is hosting Infrared, an exhibition that investigates the act of looking and how observation can shape our understanding of the people, places, and subjects before us. Curated by Rahel Aima, the show features work by four UAE-based artists: Amna AlMemari, Lubnah Ansari, MG (Sue Ng), and Andrew Riad. The displayed projects were developed during the 2nd edition of NIKA’s Open Studio programme, offering a glimpse into the artists’ evolving practices and individual approaches to visual expression.
5. Reimagined by Oussama Diab
At Artbooth Gallery, Reimagined marks a new chapter in the practice of Palestinian-Syrian-Dutch artist Oussama Diab. On view until 31 October 2026, the solo exhibition showcases a series of reinterpretations of celebrated masterpieces from the history of Western art. Drawing inspiration from works by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Michelangelo, and Anthony van Dyck, Diab revisits familiar compositions through a distinctive visual language informed by displacement, resilience, and a belief in humanity.
6. Sculptures, Furniture and Works on Paper by Bernar Venet
This exhibition at Waddington Custot Dubai explores three interconnected strands of French artist Bernar Venet’s practice. Open until 31 October 2026, it offers an introduction to an artistic career spanning six decades and characterised by a sustained challenge to conventional definitions of art. Bringing together different facets of Venet’s multidisciplinary approach, the exhibition highlights the breadth of a practice that bridges artistic experimentation and intellectual inquiry.
7. Artists’ Rooms: Kamruzzaman Shadhin
Jameel Arts Centre presents Artists’ Rooms: Kamruzzaman Shadhin, displaying The River Remembers (2023), an installation by Bangladeshi artist Kamruzzaman Shadhin. Rooted in the landscapes, histories, and personal memories of Bengal, the artwork takes the form of an expansive textile landscape. Handcrafted threads trace the colours of the Teesta and Brahmaputra rivers, connecting the material qualities of the installation with the waterways that shape the region’s geography and collective memory. Part of Art Jameel’s ongoing Artists’ Rooms series, the exhibition will remain on view until 1 November 2026.
8. Vantage Point 13
Sharjah Art Foundation’s Vantage Point 13 explores the possibilities of documentary photography beyond its traditional role of recording reality. Presented in the Foundation’s dedicated Photography Gallery in Al Manakh, the exhibition features newly commissioned bodies of work by six artists: Luisa Dörr, Latifa AlBokhari, Sathish Kumar, Adam Rouhana, Guanyu Xu, and Maheder Haileselassie. For them, photography is a means of examining memory, identity, belonging, absence, and interpretation, highlighting the medium’s capacity to shape narratives rather than just document events. Curated by Sara Al Mheiri and Osemudiamen Ekore, the exhibition will end on 29 November 2026.
9. Local Plants in the UAE: From the Roots of the Past to the Shades of the Present
Meanwhile, at Sharjah Heritage Museum, Local Plants in the UAE explores the country’s native flora as a living repository of knowledge, memory, and identity. Open until 29 April 2027, the exhibition focuses on 46 native plant species, presented through a combination of living displays and preserved samples. The show highlights the adaptability and resilience of local vegetation while examining its place in the country’s natural and cultural heritage.
10. Playscape: I Dreamt of a City Everyone Calls Home
Created by Theories of Imagination (TOFI), Playscape: I Dreamt of a City Everyone Calls Home at the Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park reimagines the traditional playground as an interactive work of public art. It combines vernacular architectural motifs, native flora and fauna, and contemporary design with playful installations inspired by rain, fog, and dancing light. Rather than treating play as a purely recreational activity, the project encourages exploration, imagination, and social interaction. Open until 31 May 2027, the Playscape is an engaging destination for visitors of all ages, extending the experience of contemporary art beyond the gallery and into everyday public life.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting Isra Arabesque, a beautiful art space in Abu Dhabi.
To stay connected with the latest art news, you should follow our Telegram channel.
