Now, Dubai Walks Alongside Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah Offering Sizzling Summer Exhibitions That Will Ignite Your Wanderlust Which Will Beat the Heat with Art

Traditionally, the summer in the UAE has been a time when life slows down to a halt, with the scorching heat causing many to retreat indoors. However, this perception is increasingly becoming a thing of the past, especially when it comes to the UAE’s dynamic arts scene. In recent years, galleries and museums have begun to embrace the summer months, transforming them into a period of cultural vibrancy and artistic exploration. Rather than halting activity, the summer has become a time to celebrate new exhibitions and extend existing ones, inviting both locals and visitors to engage with the thriving arts scene. Across the UAE, a variety of exhibitions are rolling out or extending into the hottest months, making this season an exciting time for art lovers to experience some of the region’s best creative works.

From powerful photographic exhibitions addressing pressing global issues to galleries showcasing the raw energy of street art, the summer arts scene in the UAE has much to offer. Here are 10 exhibitions and shows to explore in the UAE that will surely captivate anyone seeking cultural enrichment this summer.

No Trespassing at Ishara Art Foundation: A Journey into Urban Aesthetics

Ishara Art Foundation has stepped up to the challenge of making the summer months engaging by unveiling its first summer exhibition, No Trespassing. Curated by Priyanka Mehra, this exhibition brings the raw and unrefined elements of street aesthetics into the gallery space. Featuring works from six artists, No Trespassing explores the intersection of urban materials and artistic expression. Artists such as Fatspatrol (Fathima Mohiuddin), H11235 (Kiran Maharjan), Khaled Esguerra, Rami Farook, Salma Dib, and Sara Alahbabi transform everyday materials like building blocks, pavements, signage, and various surfaces into acts of profound mark-making. Rather than defining the street as a singular concept, the exhibition reflects the ever-evolving and chaotic nature of urban spaces. This interactive exploration presents the street as a lived-in space—curated, used, and constantly rewritten by those who inhabit it.

No Trespassing is an invitation to rethink the boundaries of what constitutes art, offering a unique reflection on how urban life shapes both space and artistic expression. Visitors can experience this compelling exhibition at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, until August 30, with operating hours from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cartographies, Revised at Manarat Al Saadiyat: A Global Approach to Personal Histories

Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi presents the exhibition Cartographies, Revised, a culmination of a four-month residency at The Photography Studio. This thought-provoking exhibition features the works of seven emerging artists who utilize cartography as a means to map personal histories and narratives through photography. Each artist brings a unique perspective on the intersection of geography, memory, and identity. For instance, Aman Ali’s photographs poignantly trace the concept of maternal love, captured through the worn hands of mothers, while Reem Hamid’s work delves into the shifting rhythms of stillness and movement through sand and performance art. Fares Al Kaabi’s poignant images mourn the loss of demolished homes, capturing the emotional resonance of spaces once inhabited but now erased from memory.

Cartographies, Revised is not just an exploration of physical geography but an intimate portrayal of personal histories embedded in landscapes. It opens up a conversation on how people adapt and endure, with each image serving as a powerful reminder of how individuals navigate through both time and space. The exhibition runs until September 1, with viewing hours from Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Upside Down, by Morteza Khazaie at Leila Heller Gallery: Resilience in Nature

Morteza Khazaie’s Upside Down at Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai offers an extraordinary exploration of nature’s resilience through sculptural works. Using wood as his medium, Khazaie creates towering, curved sculptures that mimic the organic shapes of trees bending in response to storms and wind. These works symbolize endurance and adaptability, with the wood acting as a metaphor for both individual and societal transformation. Through his art, Khazaie invites viewers to reflect on the intersection of strength and vulnerability. The sculptures’ pliability under pressure serves as a powerful visual metaphor, reminding audiences of the quiet strength found in nature’s ability to endure hardship without breaking. The exhibit challenges conventional notions of strength, encouraging viewers to reconsider how they view resilience in both nature and society.

Upside Down is on view until September 15, with gallery hours from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.

Architectures of the In-Between at Aisha Alabbar Gallery: Reinterpreting Structures

The Architectures of the In-Between exhibition at Aisha Alabbar Gallery in Dubai brings together three artists who explore architecture as a foundational element of their practices. Though each artist brings a distinct approach to the subject, they all share a deep connection to how architecture influences the social and cultural landscape. Atefeh Majidi Nezhad’s work in the Zero-G series features lace-like installations that evoke memory and fragility. Nevine Hamza’s photography and digital artworks give form to metaphysical ideas, while Layla Juma uses minimalist geometries to dissect and critique social structures through drawing and installation. This exhibition explores how architecture functions not just as a physical space but as a vehicle for cultural dialogue and social commentary. It encourages visitors to reconsider how the built environment shapes human interaction and how art can reinterpret the spaces we inhabit.

Architectures of the In-Between runs until August 23, with visiting hours from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Between Sunrise and Sunset by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim at Maraya Art Centre: Embracing Diversity

Between Sunrise and Sunset by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, displayed at the Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah, is a visually striking installation that challenges viewers to reflect on the UAE’s environmental and cultural diversity. This major work, originally commissioned by the National Pavilion UAE and featured at the 2022 Venice Biennale, is now showcased at Maraya Art Centre. The installation features 128 sculptural forms, each unique in shape, size, and color. The forms are arranged in a gradient, starting with vibrant hues and gradually transitioning to monochrome tones, symbolizing the transition from day to night. Through this arrangement, Ibrahim evokes the diverse landscape of the UAE, while exploring the metaphorical span between day and night, light and dark.

This exhibition serves as a powerful commentary on the UAE’s growth and transformation, reflecting both the environmental diversity of the country and the richness of its cultural heritage. Between Sunrise and Sunset is on display until August 1, and can be visited from Saturday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

New Acquisitions and VR Experience at Louvre Abu Dhabi: A Journey Through History

Louvre Abu Dhabi offers visitors an engaging experience this summer, even without a special exhibition. The museum has introduced new acquisitions and a virtual reality experience to complement its permanent collections. The Quantum Dome Project, a 25-minute VR experience, immerses participants in digitally reconstructed environments from three historic regions: ancient Rome, medieval Baghdad, and Mughal-era India. Additionally, the museum’s galleries have been refreshed with a new rotation of loans and acquisitions. Highlights include a Roman cameo depicting Agrippa Postumus, a Sri Lankan ivory-and-gold casket, Juan Luna’s enigmatic Una Bulaquena, and Kandinsky’s White Oval, which marks a pivotal moment in the artist’s career.

Louvre Abu Dhabi offers a dynamic and engaging experience for both returning visitors and newcomers. The museum remains open from Tuesday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., located at Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.

Everyman’s Mountain by Omar Al Gurg at Lawrie Shabibi: A Tribute to Nature

Emirati photographer Omar Al Gurg’s solo exhibition Everyman’s Mountain at Lawrie Shabibi is a visual journey that pays tribute to Mount Kilimanjaro. Featuring 24 archival prints from Al Gurg’s six-day trek up the mountain, the exhibition captures the shifting ecosystems of the mountain, from misty forests to icy summits. Al Gurg’s work serves as both a personal journey and a broader meditation on environmental change and human activity. Through these images, Al Gurg draws attention to the quiet transformations of nature, while emphasizing the collective responsibility to preserve these ecosystems.

Everyman’s Mountain will be on display until September 12, with visiting hours from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.

The Peasant, the Scholar and the Engineer by Asuncion Molinos Gordo at Jameel Arts Centre: Sustainability and Rural Knowledge

Spanish artist-researcher Asuncion Molinos Gordo’s retrospective exhibition The Peasant, the Scholar and the Engineer at Jameel Arts Centre surveys over 15 years of her work on rural knowledge, land use, and food systems. Through her research-based practice, Gordo redefines farmers not just as food producers but as intellectuals and engineers, whose vernacular practices hold potential keys to sustainability. Featuring works like the World Agriculture Museum and a 2020 installation echoing Andalusian and falaj irrigation techniques, Gordo’s work urges a reevaluation of how we view rural practices and their contributions to environmental solutions.

The exhibition is on view until September 28, with visiting hours from Saturday to Monday and Wednesday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai.

Unstable Grounds at 421 Arts Campus: Exploring Memory and Displacement

Unstable Grounds, the MFA graduate exhibition from NYU Abu Dhabi at 421 Arts Campus, delves into themes of environment, displacement, and human connection through a dynamic collection of works. The exhibition features eight artists who explore what is visible and what resists visibility, making the themes of memory and displacement central to their works. Highlights include Consequences of Circumstance by Hala El Abora, where bird images are carved on slabs of stone, and The Sea is a Body which Moves by Adele Bea Cipste, which examines her evolving relationship with Abu Dhabi’s shoreline. The works examine the limitations of materials, form, and meaning, asking difficult questions about the intersection of history and personal experience.

The exhibition runs until September 7, with visiting hours from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at Zayed Port, Abu Dhabi.

Time Heals, Just Not Quick Enough… at Efie Gallery: Reflections on Growth and Healing

The group exhibition Time Heals, Just Not Quick Enough… at Efie Gallery explores themes of growth and healing through the work of five contemporary artists from Africa. Featuring artists such as Samuel Fosso, Aida Muluneh, and Sumayah Fallatah, the exhibition uses photography and film to reflect on personal and collective narratives. The artists examine how the passage of time is documented and experienced, using personal and cultural histories to explore the themes of identity, memory, and change. The exhibition is a poignant reflection on the African diaspora and the ongoing journey of healing and transformation.

Time Heals, Just Not Quick Enough… runs until July 30, with visiting hours from Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.

A Vibrant Summer for Art Lovers

The summer months in the UAE, once seen as a time of quietude, have now become a dynamic and engaging season for the arts. With a variety of exhibitions offering diverse and thought-provoking perspectives on society, nature, and history, art lovers have much to explore and experience. Whether through installations that invite introspection or photographic journeys that challenge perceptions, the UAE’s galleries and museums provide a rich tapestry of cultural experiences for all. For those visiting the region, this is a summer that promises creativity, innovation, and an opportunity to engage with some of the most exciting artistic works in the world today.