Top Spots Dubai shares Dubai’s top exhibition openings and cultural events for the month of February 2024
Ayyam Gallery, Alserkal Avenue
“Diary” by Tammam Azzam
Ayyam Gallery is presenting a solo exhibtion, ‘Diary’, by Tammam Azzam on January 8 from 6pm to 9pm, in presence of the artist. The exhibition highlights artworks that explore the concept of perspective. The artist is recognised for explorations of the destruction and reconstruction of an image or space.
8th January until 20th February 2024
Carbon 12, Alserkal Avenue
“Solo Exhibition” by Andre Butzer
André Butzer is one of Germany’s most pertinent contemporary artists who founded the Akademie Isotrop in Hamburg. Butzer has regular international coverage in art publications, with over 290 worldwide exhibitions. A self-proclaimed ‘colourist’, his work has advanced from chromatically intense large-scale representational paintings rife with pop-culture references to ‘minimalist’ black and white abstract paintings. Butzer originates his paintings from an unimaginable and non-picturable space, serving as the starting point and direction for his artistic creations.
8th February Until 30th March 2024
Efie Gallery, Al Quoz
“Unveiling the Shadows of the Past: The Hidden Icon of Photography in Africa” by J.K. Bruce-Vanderpuije
Ghanaian photographer J. K. Bruce-Vanderpuije showcases the tale of Ghanaian modern history through the lens of a local at his exhibit. Capturing the birth of modern-day Ghana through his camera, the artist has managed to document some of the most iconic events in modern Gold Coast 20th century history. Visitors at the exhibit will relive the Ghanaian history through Vanderpuije’s images that blend Ghanaian traditional heritage and western style modernity.
12th January until 20th February 2024
Firetti Contemporary, Alserkal Avenue
“Translucent Threads of Life” by Yousra Wahba
‘Translucent Threads of Life’ Yousra Wahba’s debut show honours nature, identity, and the strength of women. The exhibition highlights the beauty discovered in life’s unconventional and wild aspects, celebrating the unique charm that arises from such unconventional forms. Through four series of artworks, this exhibit encourages an appreciation for the beauty that emerges when boundaries are pushed.
7th December until 8th February 2024
“Metamorphosis” by Laura Lappi
Laura Lappi’s ‘Metamorphosis’ attracts inspiration from majestic ancient basilicas, cathedrals, and medieval Scandinavian wooden structures. Using wood as her main medium, she crafts intricate wall sculptures, layering repurposed wood in geometric patterns. Employing a charring technique inspired by Japanese yakisugi, she transforms the wood into a deep, beautiful black texture. Lappi’s art serves as a analogy for the human experience, exploring the beauty that arises from life’s challenges and inviting reflection on the cyclical nature of existence.
26th February until 26th April 2024
Green Art Gallery, Alserkal Avenue
“Green Art Gallery x Selma Feriani Gallery” by Nazgol Ansarinia, Rossella Biscotti, M’barek Bouhchichi, Hera Buyuktasciyan, Elena Damiani, Yazid Oulab & Massinissa Selmani
Green Art Gallery is presenting a group exhibition in collaboration with Selma Feriani Gallery, with works by Nazgol Ansarinia, Rossella Biscotti, M’barek Bouhchichi, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Elena Damiani, Yazid Oulab and Massinissa Selmani. The exhibit represents arising and mid-career artists from the MENA region and the globe.
10th January until 17th February 2024
“How to Disappear” by Ana Mazzei
Ana Mazzei, lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil, and her artworks are like pieces and fragments of myths, lives and fictions that are represented in drawings, videos, sculptures and installations. The artist uses different sensory materials like felt and concrete in her experimental practice, connecting them to the conditions where she creates her art.
27th February until 20th April 2024
Grey Noise, Alserkal Avenue
“Half Light” by Fahd Burki
The exhibition showcases Fahd Burki’s body of work that departs from his minimalist approach to image-making, opening it up to subject matter, metaphor, and narrative. It captures distilled experiences, dreams, archetypal forms, and mysterious, unresolved thoughts.
19th November until 3rd February 2024
Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue
“Sheher, Prakriti, Devi” by Gauri Gill
The exhibition ‘Sheher, Prakriti, Devi,’ featuring works by Gauri Gill, Vinnie Gill, and Ladhki Devi, explores inquiries into world-making through investigations, beliefs, and care. The exhibition covering maps of the city, environment, and psyche is centered around Gauri Gill’s extensive documentation of the modern urban landscape in India since 2003.
19th January until 1st June 2024
Jameel Arts Centre, Jaddaf Waterfront
“Some Seasons: Fereydoun Ave and the Laal Collection, 1959 – 2019” by Negar Azimi, Sohrab Mohebbi & Talia Heiman
‘Some Seasons: Fereydoun Ave and the Laal Collection, 1959-2019’ is curated by Negar Azimi and Sohrab Mohebbi with Talia Heiman and offers understandings into Iran’s art production and circulation from the late 1950s to the present, spanning periods of monarchy and theocracy. Created before the current Iranian uprising, it presents works by artists such as Monir Sharoudy Farmanfarmaian, Rokni Haerizadeh, and others, capturing a rich historical narrative.
27th September until 23rd March 2024
“Guest Relations” by Murtaza Vali with Lucas Morin
“Guest Relations’ exhibition gives visitors a brief insight into the historical, political, social, and cultural shifts accompanying Dubai’s rapid tourism growth. With hotels as historical subjects and considering other hospitality sites like airlines and amusement parks, it unveils complexities beyond luxury, highlighting the cultural significance and historical narratives inherent in the ‘work of welcome’.
4th November until 28th April 2024
“Short Circuit” by Vikram Divecha
‘Short Circuits’ is Beirut-born and Dubai-based artist Vikram Divecha’s first survey exhibition, retracing his practice over the past decade. The exhibition features playful and poetic site-specific installations, video works, photography and drawings that engage with the UAE’s urban and social histories, and includes new commissions, loans from international museums and local collectors, plus works in the Art Jameel Collection.
1st February until 16th June 2024
Leila Heller Gallery, Alserkal Avenue
“Poem Is My Name” by Arash Nazari
‘Poem is my Name,’ by Arash Nazari, delves into the poetic essence of miniature, presenting images inspired by the rich tapestry of life. The collection explores the natural link between poetry and visual art, encouraging viewers to read poems and experience them visually via paintings.
23rd January until 21st February 2024
“Immortal Mirror” by Aref Montazeri
Aref Montazeri’s exhibition ‘Immortal Mirror,’ descends into the layers of mirrors and their relationship with the audience. Montazeri presents a unique mirror made through a chemical oxidation process, simulating the effects of time. This handcrafted masterpiece transforms a simple reflective surface into a complicated plane, inviting detailed thinking. Inspired by triangles, Montazeri’s creative process adds texture and complexity, turning the two-dimensional shape into a stunning interplay of curved sides. The exhibition lets viewers analyse past, present, and future dimensions, leaving an everlasting impression that promotes introspection and self-exploration.
23rd January until 23rd February 2024
“Symphony of Birds” by Maryam Lamei
“Symphony of Birds” features an array of paintings that blends the rich tradition of Persian miniature painting with a modern sensibility. It gets inspiration from the esteemed Persian painting genre ‘Negargari’, focusing on the interplay between flowers and birds. Maryam Lamei advances this traditional art form, infusing it with an essence that echoes with the present-day world. In her interpretation, the sheer fusion of flowers and birds exceeds aesthetics, evolving into a deep dialogue reflecting the ongoing conversation between love and the beloved. The exhibition lets viewers to explore a subtle dialogue between nature, love, and the human experience.
23rd January until 23rd February 2024
The Third Line, Alserkal Avenue
“Fly Like Dandelions” by Pouran Jinchi
Inspired by an article titled ‘Great Climate Migration’ in the New York Times, Pouran Jinchi created her latest series, ‘Fly Like Dandelions’. The article narrates the story of Jorge A., a Guatemalan farmer forced to leave due to the effects of climate change on farming. Jinchi’s series is influenced by landscapes changed by climate change, including ghost forests and arid lands.
11th January until 16th February 2024
“Before Nature” by Kamran Samimi
Kamran Samimi’s exhibition with The Third Line – ‘Before Nature (I Am Both Created and Destroyed)’ – draws inspiration from the organic forms of the UAE’s mountains and rocks for his artwork titled Translations (2023). In addition to the paintings, visitors can also check the sizable stone sculpture crafted by Samimi, named Unbroken Column (2023), which will be set outdoors at Alserkal Avenue.
11th January until 16th February 2024
XVA Gallery, Al Fahidi Neighborhood
“Metaphors” by Mahmoud Hamadani
‘Metaphors’ by Mahmoud Hamadani explores visual metaphors in his series. Observing these artworks feels like a way to understand the tangible world.
11th January until 27th February 2024
