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The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has revealed the five shortlisted artists for the 7th edition of the Ithra Art Prize, reaffirming its position as one of the most influential platforms for contemporary art in the Arab world.
At the heart of Cairo, inside the monumental Grand Egyptian Museum, Art Cairo 2026 unfolds as more than just an art fair. It feels like a statement. A declaration that Arab contemporary art is no longer peripheral, but confidently positioned within the global cultural conversation.
This spring, the spotlight will fall anew on contemporary Arab art as the shortlist for the 7th Ithra Art Prize is revealed — a list that reflects the richness, diversity and critical urgency of artistic practice across the region.
In the serene galleries of Louvre Abu Dhabi, a new chapter in one of the most transformative artistic journeys of the 20th century unfolds. Picasso, The Figure — a landmark exhibition running from January 21 to May 31, 2026 — revisits Pablo Picasso’s lifelong engagement with the human body, revealing how even his most radical innovations remained rooted in a profound connection to the figure.
In a city defined by speed, scale, and spectacle, Fatma Lootah’s work has always moved differently. Her practice unfolds slowly, guided not by declaration but by reflection. For decades, the Emirati artist has built a visual language rooted in memory, time, and emotional presence — one that privileges feeling over explanation.
Public space is never neutral. It carries memory, power, and possibility. With the appointment of Elvira Dyangani Ose as Artistic Director of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial 2026, the city signals a bold intention: to transform streets, neighborhoods, and shared environments into living platforms for dialogue, history, and collective imagination.
What does it mean to continue creating when loss is no longer an exception, but a constant presence? For Lebanese composer Oussama Rahbani, the past year has unfolded as a quiet test of endurance — one in which grief, memory, and responsibility have converged into a single artistic act.
Set against the dramatic landscapes of northwestern Saudi Arabia, Desert X AlUla 2026 returns this season with an ambitious new edition that transforms the desert into a vast open-air gallery. Running from 16 January to 28 February, the exhibition brings together leading international and regional artists whose works respond directly to AlUla’s natural, cultural, and historical environment.
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, widely known as Emirates LitFest, has long been one of the Middle East’s most influential cultural events. Each year, it brings together writers, readers, thinkers and creatives from around the world to celebrate storytelling in all its forms. In 2026, the festival places a special spotlight on one of the most compelling and fast-evolving genres: crime writing.
In a world saturated with images, layers, and digital effects, Hind Khlaifat’s art stands out for its radical simplicity. With a single uninterrupted line, she creates faces, emotions, and stories that feel both ancient and immediate. Her work does not demand attention through complexity — it invites connection through clarity.
Walking into Two Clouds in the Night Sky at the Cultural Foundation, visitors step into a world that feels alive—an ecosystem shaped by colour, rhythm, and an almost meditative sense of growth. In this immersive solo exhibition, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim reveals the full scope of a practice that has quietly shaped the UAE’s contemporary art landscape for decades.
As it marks its fifteenth anniversary, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art reasserts its role not only as a guardian of modern Arab art history, but as a living, responsive institution deeply engaged with the urgencies of the present. Through two parallel exhibitions—Resolutions: Celebrating 15 Years of Mathaf and we refuse_d—the museum offers a powerful reflection on memory, resistance, and the continued necessity of artistic expression.
In Dubai, a city defined by motion, heat, and rapid transformation, fractured landscapes take on a quiet emotional charge. CRACK, the latest exhibition by Werner Bronkhorst, makes its global debut in the UAE, unfolding across four atmospheric rooms at Concrete, within Alserkal Avenue.
In Abu Dhabi, where national museums increasingly serve as spaces for dialogue, education, and collective memory, a new initiative is reshaping how visitors engage with culture. The Zayed National Museum has launched Quiet Morning, a monthly programme designed to offer a calmer, more sensory-considerate museum experience for neurodivergent audiences.
In Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, a familiar space becomes a site of reflection, memory, and transformation. At the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, the exhibition Echoes of the Familiar offers an intimate yet expansive exploration of what “home” means in contemporary Saudi society.
In the narrow streets of Historic Jeddah, where coral stone buildings bear centuries of trade, faith, and migration, Arabic calligraphy is once again being reimagined as a living art form. The second edition of the Dar Al Qalam Residency Programme unfolds in Historic Jeddah (Al-Balad), reaffirming the city’s enduring role as a crossroads of culture in the Middle East.
Over the past two decades, Art Dubai has grown into one of the most influential cultural platforms in the Middle East, offering a space where regional artistic practices meet global conversations. More than an art fair, Art Dubai functions as a curatorial ecosystem—one that reflects shifting artistic, political, and technological realities across the Global South and beyond.
Standing at the heart of Doha, the National Museum of Qatar is far more than a cultural landmark. It is a living chronicle of Qatar’s national identity, tracing the country’s transformation over the past five decades. As the museum marks its fiftieth anniversary, it offers a reflective narrative that mirrors Qatar’s broader journey of heritage preservation, modernization, and cultural self-definition.
At the eastern edge of the United Arab Emirates, where the Gulf of Oman meets the rugged coastline of Kalba, a former industrial site has been transformed into a monumental space for reflection. The Sharjah Art Foundation presents Of Land and Water, its first formal exhibition at the Kalba Ice Factory, marking a significant cultural moment not only for Sharjah, but for the wider Middle East.
As the Middle East continues to assert itself as a vital force within the global contemporary art landscape, 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year. Across Saudi Arabia in particular, large-scale exhibitions are rethinking how art engages with land, history, and movement—placing the region at the centre of new curatorial and artistic conversations.
The contemporary art landscape of the Middle East is undergoing a profound transformation. New institutions, biennales, and cultural initiatives are reshaping how art is produced, exhibited, and understood across the region. Within this dynamic context, the Ithra Art Prize has established itself as one of the most significant platforms dedicated to supporting artists from the Arab world, not only through recognition, but through sustained engagement with artistic practice.
Egypt has long occupied a central place in the global imagination. For decades, it has been photographed through the lens of monumentality—pyramids, temples, deserts, and symbols frozen in time. Yet a new generation of Egyptian photographers is quietly reshaping how the country is seen, moving away from spectacle and toward lived experience.
Zahrah Alghamdi’s artistic practice unfolds through an intimate dialogue with material, time, and repetition. Working across large-scale installations and sculptural environments, she approaches matter not as inert substance, but as a living archive—one that holds memory, chemistry, and narrative within its physical structure.
Jeddah’s historic seaport has taken on a new life as the Red Sea Museum, transforming Bab Al-Bunt, the city’s iconic gateway, into a vibrant cultural space that bridges history and contemporary art. For centuries, the pointed double-curved arches of Bab Al-Bunt welcomed pilgrims arriving by sea, marking the final leg of their spiritual journey to Makkah and Madinah.
As the Middle East continues to redefine global tourism with futuristic skylines and mega-developments, Oman stands apart—offering a gentler, slower, and more grounded way to experience the region. Rather than chasing spectacle, the Sultanate invites travelers into an atmosphere shaped by nature, craftsmanship, and a deep cultural rhythm that has endured for centuries.
While Oman’s art scene may appear quieter than those of other Gulf nations, its silence conceals a powerful depth. Inside small studios and intimate galleries, a new artistic movement is unfolding—one in which local stories intertwine with global symbolic echoes.
The Red Sea International Film Festival launched its fifth edition on December 4 in the historic district of Al-Balad, Jeddah — and with it, Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its ambition to become one of the world’s most dynamic emerging centers for film, culture, and entertainment.
When Louvre Abu Dhabi announced “Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire”, it signaled far more than another major exhibition—it opened a gateway to one of the most powerful and artistically rich eras in Islamic history. Running from 17 September 2025 to 25 January 2026, the exhibition brings together over 250 masterpieces, revealing the extraordinary legacy of a dynasty that shaped the Middle East and echoed across continents.
When Louvre Abu Dhabi announced “Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire”, it signaled far more than another major exhibition—it opened a gateway to one of the most powerful and artistically rich eras in Islamic history. Running from 17 September 2025 to 25 January 2026, the exhibition brings together over 250 masterpieces, revealing the extraordinary legacy of a dynasty that shaped the Middle East and echoed across continents.
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.
Once a place where sea, desert, and palm groves coexisted in rare harmony, Tunisia’s Gabès Oasis stands today as one of the world’s most fragile cultural-environmental sites. At its heart is artist Mohamed Amine Hamouda, whose ecological practice offers a form of resistance—one built on memory, materials, and a return to ancestral knowledge.
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.
n November 2025, Ab-Anbar Gallery in London hosted A Cosmogram of Holy Views, a powerful exhibition by Palestinian artist and architect Dima Srouji. The show resurfaced suppressed histories, reconfigured inherited mythologies, and reclaimed the sacred through material memory and craft.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has marked a pivotal moment in its design journey. As the eighth and final edition of its flagship event Tanween came to a close, Ithra announced a bold transformation: beginning in 2026, the annual gathering will relaunch under a new identity — Ithra Design Week.
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.
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.
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.
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 the heart of Doha’s creative district, a quiet yet powerful collaboration has emerged — one that bridges continents, generations, and artistic philosophies.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia marks a new milestone in luxury travel with the unveiling of Dream of the Desert, the nation’s first ultra-luxury train.
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 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of its first-ever Middle East Awards, spotlighting architectural excellence that blends innovation, sustainability and cultural relevance across the region.
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.
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 region famous for fast-paced development, soaring skyscrapers and headline-making resorts, travellers are quietly changing how they move, stay and connect. The Middle East is shifting — not just in infrastructure, but in mindset.
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.
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
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.
Christie’s London Hosts Landmark Arab Art Exhibition
Qatar: Close to My Soul – A Landmark Exhibition Celebrating the Nation’s Artistic Heritage
Banksy’s Iconic Street Art Lands in Dubai for World Art Fair
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...
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.
Tesla has started selling a mini version of its Cyberquad quad bike for kids.
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.
All tickets for the “Kings of the Sun” exhibition in Prague have been sold out until June 6
Developer’s Novel Virus-killing Air Filter Ups Standard for Indoor Air Quality.
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
KARL LAGERFELD has announced the launch of the Ramadan K/KARL SEVEN mini shoulder bag on April 1, 2021.
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
In collaboration with rapper Tommy Cash, Adidas has unveiled the longest running sneaker they have ever imagined, taking direct inspiration from Superstar, one of its favorite models.
The lake scenery in winter and spring may look like any other lake in the world, but in the summer it becomes "the most charming place in Canada".
Annie Vartivarian's not-for-profit will be both a pop-up gallery and a digital platform for artists and designers.
A $22,000 tiny home can be unfolded from the box it's delivered in by 2 people in 3 hours and is meant to be moved around
Princess Safia and Lomar launch Khaleeki Chic abaya line, a modern and global abaya for all women.
Studio Roosegaarde has unveiled Grow, a 20,000-square-metre light installation designed to highlight the beauty of agriculture while also improving crop growth.
Here are some highlights from Nabil Anani’s ‘In Pursuit of Utopia,’ at Zawyeh Gallery in Dubai until April 29
Music lovers have yet another reason to visit Nashville as the National Museum of African American Music is preparing to launch in January 2021.
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.
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.
BIG and 3D-printed building company ICON have revealed they are working on Project Olympus, which aims to develop robotic construction for the moon.
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.
A library in the city of Haikou, China that is intended "to be a wormhole that transcends time and space".
Belgians are heading to the countryside for vacation this year, and many are discovering the half-tent, half-tree house structures in a forest in Borgloon, Belgium.
Architecture studio APL Design Workshop has built a foyer on a raised platform ringed by trees for an open-air theatre in Kurobe, Japan.
New Mummies Discovered in Egypt May Hold Clues to Finally Finding Cleopatra's Tomb
The ship won’t be stopping anywhere on the way, and passengers will stay on the boat for the entire two-week journey.
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.
The MIZUNO ENERZY Signature Shoe Delivers a High Energy Return
A new resort and casino is coming to Las Vegas, but you might need to leave the kids at home.
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.
Transport design studio PriestmanGoode has developed a concept for a high-performance balloon and pressurised capsule for Space Perspective to take space tourists on a "cruise" around the stratosphere.
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.
Those planning future travels to Iceland may be interested in checking out an amazing oceanfront geothermal lagoon that is set to open in the spring of 2021.
Hearing aids and a brassiere for breast cancer sufferers are among the unorthodox jewellery designs shared by Lucerne School of Art and Design students as part of their school show.
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.
Fenwick-Iribarren Architects and Pattern Design have unveiled the Education City Stadium near Doha, which is the third and largest of the venues for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be completed so far.
The UK has introduced mandatory quarantine for anyone arriving into the country, including returning citizens and residents.
While most of the fashion world is still reeling from the likely longterm effects of Covid-19‘s global lockdown, Lebanese couturier Nicolas Jebran is optimistic about a better and brighter future ahead for his beloved industry.
An afternoon spent sipping a coffee or wine on a café terrace is an essential Parisian experience and as lockdown measures are eased across France locals have returned to the terraces to continue the tradition.
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.
Celine is pre-launching a new soft day bag June 5 and it is poised to see lovers of the French house’s accesories fall hard.
Universal Orlando plans to reopen on 5 June at reduced capacity and new health and with strict new safety procedures in place.
Nothing New Sneakers Have a Durable, Eco-Friendly Design
The Couch A Vibe Festival Presents an Online Music Experience
A New York City park took social distancing to the next level this weekend by drawing circles several feet apart for people to sit inside.
The Surf Lakes Wave Pool Generates 2,000 Waves Per Hour
Artist Katherine McMahon transformed a closed diner into an art gallery in Southampton, New York.
A high-rise hotel in Athens has been ordered to demolish its top two floors following complaints the building was obstructing views of the Acropolis.
Suicoke recently teamed up with the popular Danish furniture brand HAY on the bold and colorful new HAY x Suicoke Depa sandal collection.
The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California, is in full bloom.
European cities including Paris, Berlin and Milan are working to become more bike and pedestrian-friendly after lockdown.
Proenza Schouler and Birkenstock Join Forces on a Set of Footwear
Christian Lewis is taking self-isolation to the next level. He's completely alone on a tiny Scottish island with his dog, Jet.
The Katallis EV.500 Has an Old-Fashioned Aluminum Frame
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.
A pack of mischievous rats cause chaos in this installation by graffiti artist Banksy who, like many, is working from home during the coronavirus lockdown.
This picture taken on June 18, 2018 shows tourists taking pictures of a mural at the now derelict ashram visited by the Beatles 50 years ago, in Rishikesh in northern India.
Sports brand Nike has created the Air Max 2090 to demonstrate what it sees as being the future of trainer design.
The tattoo artists of Tattoo Bob in Rotterdam-Katendrecht temporarily focused on embellishing footwear for doctors and nurses, since all tattoo shops are closed until April 28th.
The London Eye, England and buildings along the Qiantang River, China turn blue in support of medical workers.
Christians in the Philippines celebrate Palm Sunday on their laptop.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery/The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
You can find the adorable best friends at the Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, Belgium, where they often spend their days playing together.
A packed drive-in movie theater in Essen, Germany, on Monday, March 30, 2020. Only two people are allowed per car, tickets are sold online only.
These Hollywood men are putting a modern twist on an old favorite.
Instagram users have decided that lashes and nails simply aren't enough and have begun matching their brows to their brightly colored makeup in just about every way possible.
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
An epic new indoor waterpark is being constructed in the UK, with plenty of adult-focused features.
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, a serene oasis hidden in plain sight within Iceland’s most popular destination.
A variety of face masks were displayed at the Marine Serre show in Paris.
Modern Arab art is having a moment.
Take a look to the best SPAS in Jumeirah.
Houses nearby to a local winery had Lambrusco Grasparossa coming from their taps instead of water.
Danish parents raise happy children who grow up to be happy adults who raise happy children.
Hyundai has revealed its latest Prophecy concept car that has smooth lines and is designed to prompt an emotional response.
A new resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, consists entirely of treehouses.
It's cozy season, so your feet should feel warm and look hot.
Mountains, monasteries and a whole lot of mystery await in Armenia, a must-visit this year
Lucy has survived hurricanes, fires, and developers.
Anthony Vaccarello returns to the bourgeoisie grace of the Nineties for Saint Laurent’s Fall 2020 Paris show.
The trailblazing Lebanese artist whose richly colored abstract paintings and intricate, organically shaped sculptures in wood, clay, aluminum, and other materials.
Is it the breath-taking nature, the colourful spices, the endless details, or the amazing hospitality?
If you've ever wanted to vacation on a Caribbean island with Mickey Mouse and friends, you could soon be in luck
Stars, moons, planets, spaceships, people will be looking out of this world for tattoo inspiration in 2020.
Demyttenaere and Hocke went viral in 2019 after they posted a photo of themselves hanging out of a train.
An exceptional exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci