In our opinion, one of the best ways to beat the summer heat is to hide in an art space or a gallery. Thus, you can enjoy the blissful coolness and some great art at the same time, so we would recommend that you not ignore this option! Check out our top 10 exhibitions in the region that are on display in June and decide which one to attend.
1. Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery Dubai: Gracefulness of Daily Life
This collective exhibition, through 8 June 2024, features Saudi artists who come out of Gharem Studio, a creative arts residency based in Riyadh. These are Abdulnasser Gharem, Ajlan Gharem, Halla Bint Khalid, Haitham Alsharif, Abdullah Al-Jahdhami (Shaweesh), Sumayah Fallatah, and Njoud Alanbari. The displayed art pieces reflect the ongoing documentation, observations, and exchanges reflected across generations and communities of Saudi Arabia.
2. The NYUAD Art Gallery: In Real Time
On 22 February 2024, celebrating ten years since its founding, the NYUAD Art Gallery launched In Real Time, an experimental group exhibition. With this show, Chief Curator Maya Allison raises an interesting question: what happens when we allow an exhibition to change at its own pace? Among the participating artists are Moza Almatrooshi, Rana Begum, Sol LeWitt, Cristiana de Marchi, and others. The show will end on 9 June 2024.
3. Connect and Communicate, the 7th Joint Exhibition on the Archaeology
It is a virtual exhibition organised by the Sharjah Museums Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Youth. The show narrates the history of the Arabian Peninsula through various unique artefacts (hunting tools and weapons, pottery, jewellery, etc.) from six countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. One will be able to attend the exhibition until 15 June 2024.
4. Fashioning an Empire: Textiles from Safavid Iran
The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) invites you to visit the Fashioning an Empire exhibition organised in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The show explores the development of the silk industry during the Safavid period (1501–1736 CE) under Shah ‘Abbas I the Great, Iran’s most influential ruler in modern history. The exhibition welcomes all visitors until 22 June 2024.
5. The Infinite & The Finite by Khaled Akil
Until 25 June 2024, Ayyam Gallery is holding Istanbul-based artist Khaled Akil’s solo exhibition titled The Infinite & The Finite. Displaying the collection of his latest mesmerising art pieces, it delves into the realms of the unseen, the felt, and the omnipresent.
6. Allegorical Ruins by Raed Yassin
On display at Gallery Isabelle, Allegorical Ruins is a solo show by Lebanese artist Raed Yassin, which will run through 27 June 2024. Inspired by French theorist Roland Barthes’ work Camera Lucida (1980), Yassin offers visitors to ponder the eerie essence of photography. On view is his project The Company of Silver Spectres (2021-ongoing), where he transforms discarded B&W photos into bright canvases that blur the boundaries between past and present.
7. Looking, dwelling, leaving by Khalid Jauffer
Until 28 June 2024, The Third Line is hosting Looking, dwelling, leaving, a solo exhibition by Dubai-born artist Khalid Jauffer featuring his works produced in 2024. Dealing with the metaphoric potential of daily objects, the artist finds the ironies in his everyday surroundings and reveals the spatial poetic relationships between his subjects and their correlation to human beings.
8. Etel Adnan, Between East and West
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has organised Etel Adnan, Between East and West, Saudi Arabia’s first major exhibition of prominent Lebanese artist Etel Adnan. It provides a comprehensive overview of her art practice, exploring her connection with the Arab world, culture, and language as well as how she blended Eastern and Western cultural influences in her works. The show will end on 30 June 2024.
9. What Lies Beneath by Susan Kosti
The kanvas art space in Dubai is currently showcasing media artist and motion graphic designer Susan Kosti’s work. The digital exhibition titled What Lies Beneath allows one to immerse themselves in the depths of our oceans thanks to the cutting-edge 3D projection presenting ocean data collected by NASA from 2003 to 2023. You will be able to dive into the fascinating underwater world until 30 June 2024.
10. Immortal Mirror by Aref Montazeri
Leila Heller Gallery is hosting Immortal Mirror, a solo show by Iranian sculptor Aref Montazeri, who unveils the mirror’s role as a time capsule. On view until 20 September 2024, the exhibition examines the layers of mirrors and their intricate relationship with viewers, challenging perceptions.
In addition, you might be interested in looking at Samur by Zheng Bo.
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