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For forty years, Sfeir-Semler Gallery has served as a gateway between the Middle East and the global art world, shaping contemporary Arab discourse while amplifying voices that might otherwise be lost.
Set along the quiet coastline of Kalba, Of Land and Water unfolds as more than an exhibition—it becomes a meditation on everything that moves, settles, erodes, and transforms. Drawing from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection, the show assembles large-scale works that explore how land and sea shape identity, memory, and the fragile geographies we call home.
As 2025 draws to a close, cities across the Middle East are alive with exhibitions that explore memory, innovation, resilience, and the shifting landscapes of contemporary life. From light-driven installations in Riyadh to meditations on identity in Abu Dhabi, the region’s cultural scene is more dynamic than ever. Here is a curated look at the shows currently shaping conversations across art, culture, and design.
How a Dubai gallery shaped a region — and what its anniversary exhibition reveals about the future.
In her latest solo exhibition at Hunna Art Gallery in Kuwait, Egyptian artist Amina Yahia investigates the subtle yet forceful systems shaping contemporary life in Egypt — from the built environment to the emotional interiority of its people.
At NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Ala Younis presents her first West Asia retrospective, Past of a Temporal Universe — a wide-ranging study of how history is performed, rehearsed and continually reshaped.
In Osman Hamdi Bey’s luminous painting Young Emir Studying, a young man reclines gracefully on a patterned carpet, wrapped in a robe so vividly green it seems to glow.
Iraq’s film industry has long been marked by silence — decades of sanctions, conflict, and censorship left the country’s creative voices struggling to break through.
As the UAE’s cultural capital, Abu Dhabi has spent nearly two decades shaping the region’s creative landscape. This year, Abu Dhabi Art 2025 opened with a sense of both celebration and transition — its final edition before transforming into Frieze Abu Dhabi next year
Cairo is preparing for a landmark moment as Cairo Design Week 2025 approaches — an edition that promises to be its most expressive and ambitious yet. From 20 to 29 November 2025, Egypt’s capital will unfold into a vast, open-air museum where culture, architecture, creativity and innovation come together in a celebration of global design.
Dubai’s artistic landscape is entering a new chapter with the launch of Dom Art Projects, a female-led private art institution that promises to reshape the way art is experienced, discussed and imagined in the region.
As curator of this year’s Beyond Emerging Artists programme at Abu Dhabi Art, Syrian-born, Cambridge-based artist Issam Kourbaj brings a uniquely poetic and deeply reflective perspective to the UAE’s flourishing creative scene.
In the midst of Sharjah International Book Fair’s dazzling halls — where glossy covers gleam under bright lights and new releases compete for attention — there is a corner that feels like stepping into another century.
Each year, millions travel to Giza to stand before the ancient pyramids — three colossal silhouettes that have outlived empires and rewritten the very concept of time.
In Dubai, a new festival is illuminating the city — not merely with light, but with meaning. Dhai Dubai, returning for its second edition from November 12 to 18, 2025, at Al Wasl Plaza in Expo City Dubai, redefines what a light festival can be. Entirely curated and created by Emirati artists, it celebrates light as both art and heritage, weaving the nation’s identity into radiant form.
Hidden amid the high-rises and bustle of downtown Beirut lies a remarkable relic: the Roman Baths, once part of the ancient city of Berytus.
The seventh edition of Art Cairo will take place from 22–26 January 2026, hosted at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids.
The fifth edition of the Noor Riyadh festival is set to transform the Saudi capital from 20 November to 6 December 2025 under the theme “In the Blink of an Eye”.
This year, Manar Abu Dhabi ventures beyond its coastal origins and journeys inland to Al Ain, the city of oases, where art, heritage, and light converge in a poetic celebration of place and meaning.
In his compelling new body of work, Syrian painter Elias Izoli turns the familiar imagery of the circus—a world of clowns, tight-rope walkers and trapeze artists—into a searing metaphor for life under the regime of Bashar Al Assad.
Dubai, UAE – The 2026 edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2026, running 21–27 January in Dubai, will shine a bold spotlight on the transformative power of translation.
For decades, the rise of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on the Giza Plateau has done more than just add a new destination for tourists. It has become a living metaphor for widely-felt ambitions, challenges and transformations in modern Egyp
In a landmark collaboration, Christie’s and Alserkal have announced an ambitious exhibition dedicated to the late Syrian painter Marwan Kassab‑Bachi
In the heart of Beirut, the Sursock Museum opens its doors to a stirring new chapter of Arab cultural heritage with the arrival of the exhibition DIVAS: From Oum Kalthoum to Dalida.
In the deeply personal cinematic journey Life After Siham, French-Egyptian filmmaker Namir Abdel-Messeeh confronts grief, memory and legacy.
The Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi is set to open on December 3, 2025, offering visitors an immersive experience that engages all five senses
On 9 October 2025, Miraz Art Space opened the doors to a compelling solo exhibition by acclaimed Iraqi-Kurdish artist Avan Sdiq, titled “When/Where."...
The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar 2026 is set to feature an impressive lineup of galleries from across the Arab and Middle Eastern region, showcasing the vibrant and diverse artistic voices of the area. These galleries play a vital role in promoting local talents, fostering cultural exchange, and expanding the global visibility of regional art practices.
Beyond Emerging Artists 2025: Meet This Year’s Selected Creatives
VOLTA Basel 2025 Spotlights MENA Pavilion: A Bold Move Turning Heads and Sparking Debate
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Samir Sayegh’s exhibition “ A journey” at the Saleh Barakat Gallery, where I also had the opportunity to meet Samir and take a brief tour of his remarkable art masterpieces.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is currently showcasing a groundbreaking exhibition titled Samia Halaby: Kinetic Paintings, running from May 9 to November 17, 2025. This exhibition is part of MoMA’s First Look series and is located on Floor 3 of the museum
Christie’s London Hosts Landmark Arab Art Exhibition
Qatar: Close to My Soul – A Landmark Exhibition Celebrating the Nation’s Artistic Heritage
Daydreamers: Majd Abdel Hamid’s Slow Art of Resistance in Thread
Banksy’s Iconic Street Art Lands in Dubai for World Art Fair
"Morteza Khazaie: Upside Down" at Leila Heller Gallery
The Abou Adal Collection: A Legacy of Eastern Christian Icons Finds a Home at the Louvre
Performing Abstraction: Samia Halaby and the Kinetic Painting Group
Boghossian Foundation, 2024 Prize Winners, Lebanon
Samia Osseiran Junblat
Noor Al Suwaidi, Divine Chaos
Totems, Khawla Foundation
Men’s Rings, Yves Gastou, L’ÉCOLE Middle East, Dubai
Contemporary Istanbul
AI, auction, painting
Arab galleries, Art basel, paris 2024
The Louvre Abu Dhabi continues to offer world-class cultural experiences with its latest exhibition, Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances. Running until...
Renowned Spanish artist مانولو فالديس is showcasing his small-scale sculptures in his second solo exhibition at Opera Gallery in Atlantis The Royal, Dubai...
Biennale, UAE, Azza Aboualam
n Lines and Forms, art exhibition at Leila Heller’s Gallery, Samaha’s work unfolds like a visual conversation, where each piece begins with forms laid on a blank canvas, one naturally leading to the next.
"Float in Symmetry," Daniel Asater's debut exhibition, offers a captivating exploration of vulnerability and balance through the medium of photography.
Hartwig Fischer, ex-director of the British Museum, has been named as the founding director of Saudi Arabia’s new Museum of World Cultures
Lebanese artist Omar Mismar made a splash at the Venice Biennale with a series of political mosaics inspired by ancient works, some of which comment on the regime of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
Oussama Baalbaki is an artist who is situated fully within his paintings, providing an intimacy with his world that we can somehow believe.
At the Tinguely Museum, Argentinian artist Mika Rottenberg’s wonderfully chaotic, absurd, and clever video works address ideas of hard and soft power vis-a-vis capitalism, gender dominance, and the natural world.
Art lovers and collectors are invited to embark on a new artistic journey on June 20-30 from 12-8 PM at ARTHAUS Beirut in Gemmayze.
Rock Art Found in Saudi Arabian Cave Offers ‘Rare Glimpse’ Into Ancient Human Life
Christie's Pulled two art pieces by Ayman Baalbaki from its upcoming auction
LEBANON | UNTITLED to showcase leading modern and contemporary Lebanese artists at Cromwell Place, as part of Middle East curated moments
Online Auction for Arcache house including modern and contemporary art and decor pieces.
In a city known for its rich cultural heritage, its newest art house is opening its doors to the public in Jeddah in honor of a tradition that has spanned generations and continents.
A 12th-century candlestick broke the record for an Islamic piece at Sotheby's after it was sold as part of the Art of the Islamic World and India auction this week.
A large planet-like circular form dappled with what appear to be craters and a few black dots changes constantly in front of the viewer’s eyes.
After being held virtually in 2020, Abu Dhabi Art is returning this year with a physical event at the capital city’s Manarat Al-Saadiyat.
The book fits all age groups but primarily caters to an older audience as some stories have dark themes
All tickets for the “Kings of the Sun” exhibition in Prague have been sold out until June 6
Christie’s Paris - 16 June 2021, 5 pm
Tarek Al-Ghoussein has an ability to immerse himself in projects that require commitment over an extended period of time.
A French documentary film revealed that the most expensive painting in the world, "Salvatore Mundi", was not entirely Leonardo da Vinci's work, and it raised the curtain on a diplomatic conflict between France and the Saudi owner of the painting.
The gallery's name takes inspiration from Bahrain being the first Gulf nation to strike oil
Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art auction in Paris is set to present works by two renowned Egyptian artists, Mohammed and Effat Naghi in April.
The exhibition began its worldwide tour at the Institute of the Arab World in Paris in 2015, moving to the British Museum and then onto Zurich’s Rietberg Museum, which was the last stop in its European journey
The Palais Galliera, the City of Paris Fashion Museum, reopens its doors after extension work and presents the first retrospective in Paris of a unique and remarkable fashion designer: Gabrielle Chanel (1883-1971)
Annie Vartivarian's not-for-profit will be both a pop-up gallery and a digital platform for artists and designers.
It is believed that the dead placed within their mouths amulets made of gold foil in the form of tongues, to ensure their ability to pronounce in the afterlife.
The fair is staging a physical and virtual edition at Christie’s Paris this week
Here are some highlights from Nabil Anani’s ‘In Pursuit of Utopia,’ at Zawyeh Gallery in Dubai until April 29
Loss of hearing has not stifled the creativity of Saudi painter Nujood Al-Otaibi, now looking forward to her first solo exhibition.
The Saudi Ministry of Culture is about to launch the 2nd edition of an art residency in the picturesque Al-Balad in Jeddah for 2021-2022.
This holiday season, a Lebanese architect created a regional twist by crafting painted metal decorations for the traditional buildings that line Beirut's streets.
Marie-Noëlle Fattal’s photo exhibition will start on December 17th at BEYt Mar Mikhaël.
Music lovers have yet another reason to visit Nashville as the National Museum of African American Music is preparing to launch in January 2021.
The Middle Eastern art scene has been showcasing some of the world’s most infamous paintings and digitalized immersive experiences by the likes of Van Gogh, and once again, the UAE is bringing two of the world’s highest valued paintings.
Mysterious monoliths are popping up in the US and Europe, spawning wild theories and puzzling authorities.
The Lebanese painter discusses one of her pieces from a group exhibition being shown online by Mark Hachem Gallery until November 28.
While bringing the outdoors into her home, Erin Sullivan has used pancakes as canyons and broccoli as a forest, proving creativity can really thrive when put to the test…
The oasis includes more than 2.5 million palm trees feeding on a huge aquifer through 280 artesian springs
A new short film competition is set to entice and support local filmmakers while challenging them as they write, shoot, and edit their creations in just 48 hours.
The organizers of Expo 2020 Dubai have released images of buildings by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, Grimshaw, and Foster + Partners that will host next year's coronavirus-delayed event.
Architecture studio Adjaye Associates has revealed its design for a new art gallery at Princeton University that will have numerous entrances to connect it to the campus.
Jeddah’s rich and colorful past is riddled with events that can take a lifetime to tell, and which will soon be on display for all to see.
Now a museum is opening that’s fully entrenched in the digital space, the first of its kind to put the virtual experience front and center.
As New York City moves into Phase Four, lots of public institutions are looking forward to reopening their doors again with some restrictions, including the city’s best museums.
A library in the city of Haikou, China that is intended "to be a wormhole that transcends time and space".
Japanese artist Yuko Nishikawa suspends perforated, papier-mache-style lamps from the ceiling to create dream-like compositions in her You See a Sheep project.
New Mummies Discovered in Egypt May Hold Clues to Finally Finding Cleopatra's Tomb
The show will go on for the Venice Film Festival in September, but with a few modifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the most beloved and historical theaters in the world may not reopen after being empty for several months in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
A philharmonic orchestra performed to spectator-free Roman ruins in east Lebanon Sunday, after a top summer festival downsized to a single concert in a year of economic meltdown and pandemic.
A state attorney on Thursday recommended that Turkey’s highest administrative court reject a request that Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia, which now serves as museum, be turned back into a mosque, state-run media reported.
The Berlin office of David Chipperfield Architects has built an art gallery and conference hall to complete the Carmen Würth Forum cultural building in Künzelsau, Germany.
Being constructed as part of The World Islands’ Heart of Europe Project, ‘Raining Street,’ is soon to become Dubai‘s hottest, or rather, coolest new destination.
Marjan van Aubel has designed a set of stained glass-style solar panels that will form part of the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Students at Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) will be able to take advantage of a new program teaching business Chinese.
Music returned to Barcelona's legendary Gran Teatre del Liceu on Monday with a string quartet playing to an audience made up entirely of house plants.
Some accommodations around the country opened for domestic tourists on 1 June. Hotels must receive a government-approved hygiene safety certificate before welcoming guests again, and they will be allowed to operate at just 50% capacity.
Lorem Ipsum is a creative studio that crafts exhibitions and experiential installations, such as an audiovisual recreation of an airstrike, that fully immerse visitors in a story.
The two painters called for their mutual appreciation in a letter dated 1888 bearing their signatures.
The ceremony for film’s highest honors will take place on April 25, 2021, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement.
While many countries in the world have halted construction work and put projects on hold due to the pandemic, Saudi Arabia continues to move forward with its giga-projects, including the homeland of its forefathers, Diriyah.
Situated on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia off the shore of Townsville, North Queensland, the Museum of Underwater Art has unveiled stunning images of unique and captivating installations beneath the waves.
British set designer Es Devlin has been chosen to create the UK Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020, with a performative structure that will use artificial intelligence to write poems.
Last week, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) released a brand new, online portal discussing race, racism, and racial identity.
The Berliner Ensemble theater group has removed around 500 of its 700 seats to prepare for reopening in alignment with Germany's social-distancing policies.
Graphic designers are supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and current protests, sharing illustrations and links to resources that people can use to help others and educate themselves.
London designer Adam Nathaniel Furman's Democratic Monument is a proposal for town halls around the UK that would feature bright tiles and a diverse mix of architectural styles.
A dazzling digital art exhibition on Vincent Van Gogh is heading to Toronto in June as both a walk-in and drive-in experience, giving visitors the chance to immerse themselves inside the Dutch master's larger-than-life paintings.
The ancient Wieliczka salt mine, begun in the 13th century, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
These Coal Artwork Pieces Reimagine the Use for the Material
The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston is to reopen this Saturday.
As some European countries reopen cultural institutions as part of their gradual emergence from lockdown, officials in Italy are coming up with inventive ways to keep visitors safe while they get their art fix.
ETEL ADNAN has won the 2020 Griffin Poetry Prize for her book of poetry about war, heartbreak, and memory. Image via the Facebook of the Museum of Art and Design at MDC, Miami.
A community project in Venezuela and an adult playground are among the experiential concepts envisioned by seven students from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in this Virtual Design Festival schools exhibition of graduate work.
The Couch A Vibe Festival Presents an Online Music Experience
Artist Katherine McMahon transformed a closed diner into an art gallery in Southampton, New York.
With cinemas in Berlin closed for the foreseeable future a new initiative born out of lockdown is bringing the movie theatre to people's homes instead.
While museums around the world are shuttered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibition openings will be replaced by a selection of digital initiatives providing virtual access to art and culture.
In an open letter, the organisation criticises building work in the historic area, which is on the nomination list to become a World Heritage site
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery/The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
Architect Jaimie Shorten's will install six singing shark sculptures leaping from a London canal as this year's pavilion for the Architecture Foundation.
A museum visitor looking at Edward Hopper's Morning Sun (1952).
From March 17, the Manon operas, Don Giovanni and the ballet Swan Lake will be available in free access on the Opera and Culturebox websites.
In a city celebrated as the epicenter of St. Patrick's Day, pubs and restaurants in Dublin were shuttered on the holiday in an effort to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Tate Modern in London is among the four Tate locations that will be shut from tomorrow due to coronavirus
Henning Larsen has revealed plans for The Arctic University Museum of Norway, which will evoke a cascade of glass beacons on the coast of Tromsø.
Modern Arab art is having a moment.
Danish parents raise happy children who grow up to be happy adults who raise happy children.
BEIRUT ART FAIR is an international modern and contemporary art fair with a focus on the artistic scenes of the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin.
Lebanese-born French novelist Amin Maalouf was awarded the National Order of Merit by the French government
Legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum will feature in a hologram concert in Cairo next week
The newest exhibit by Atélier des Lumières covers both the late 19th and early 20th centuries of Western art
The Design Transfigured/Waste Reimagined exhibition at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art features over 30 projects that repurpose waste products
A special exhibition dedicated to the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
The trailblazing Lebanese artist whose richly colored abstract paintings and intricate, organically shaped sculptures in wood, clay, aluminum, and other materials.
Design Museum celebrates the electronic history of Kraftwerk, Chemical Brothers and Aphex Twin.
Winter at Tantora strives to keep pace with the evolution of humanity and the mix between the arts and technical development.
An interpretation of the Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa made out entirely of Rubik's Cubes has sold for nearly half a million euros.
Expo 2020 Dubai will host the world for 173 days, each one brimming with new experiences.
The Rolls Royce Phantom that once belonged to His Highness Sheikh Zayed Founder of UAE is located in Vienna and will be back to UAE soon
An exceptional exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci
“The Art of Banksy ‘Without Limits'” will run at the King Abdullah Financial Centre in Riyadh from February 21 until April 20.
As a former member of the Young British Artists, you may think Gavin Turk is led by popular demand. Nothing less is true, though, with this artist who fills cans with “artist’s urine”.
Drawing inspiration from Riccardo Tisci's formative years.
Hey LA! Save the date for the new LV x Frieze Partnership.