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In an era dominated by instant images and fleeting digital content, photographer Houssem Boulifa offers a slower and more reflective approach to storytelling.
In a world where art is often associated with expensive materials and sophisticated techniques, Saudi artists Hussain Al-Sadah and Sahar Al-Omair are proving that creativity can emerge from the simplest objects. Nails, coffee beans, rusted metal, and discarded materials become powerful artistic tools in the hands of the husband-and-wife duo, transforming ordinary items into extraordinary visual experiences.
This spring, the Museum of Islamic Art presents one of the region’s most significant cultural exhibitions of 2026 with “Empire of Light: Visions and Voices of Afghanistan,” a major showcase exploring more than five thousand years of Afghan artistic and cultural history.
In Abu Dhabi, a new exhibition is redefining how we perceive comfort, safety, and vulnerability. Hosted at MiZa, Hard Like Tears, Soft Like Glass presents a striking body of work by emerging artist Shamsa Al Omaira, where familiar objects are transformed into unsettling artistic experiences.
In times of instability, culture is often among the first sectors to be affected. Yet the art scene in the United Arab Emirates tells a different story—one of resilience, adaptation, and continuity.
A new initiative by Experience Abu Dhabi, part of the Department of Culture and Tourism, is offering hotel guests in Abu Dhabi complimentary access to three major museums located on Saadiyat Island.
Organisers of Art Dubai have announced that the 2026 edition will move to May
In a world where images scroll past our eyes in seconds, a new exhibition in Dubai invites viewers to slow down and truly look. The inaugural edition of “Made You Look!” at Gulf Photo Plus brings together a collective of UAE-based photographers whose work captures moments powerful enough to stop viewers in their tracks.
Donia Alshetairy’s latest solo exhibition, “Suspended Presence,” invites audiences to step into a contemplative environment where time, perception and human awareness are placed under the microscope.
In times of uncertainty, art often becomes the most powerful way for a nation to express unity, gratitude and pride. The UAE recently witnessed such a moment through a moving musical tribute that transformed poetry into a powerful orchestral performance honouring those who defend the country.
There is something about being in the air that makes the soul speak louder. When a woman boards a plane alone, leaving behind her home, family, and responsibilities for a few hours, she enters a rare space of silence and reflection. Suspended between two destinations, she is no longer defined by where she comes from or where she is going. In that moment, she is simply herself.
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.
At Darat al Funun in Amman, a powerful group exhibition titled In That Same Hour invites visitors into a space where art becomes witness, memory, and moral presence.
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 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.
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.
As luxury hospitality continues to evolve beyond spectacle and scale, a new paradigm is emerging—one where art is no longer decorative, but foundational. This philosophy lies at the heart of Wynn Al Marjan Island, which has announced the unveiling of a museum-calibre art collection ahead of its highly anticipated opening in Spring 2027.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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
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
Totems, Khawla Foundation
AI, auction, painting
Renowned Spanish artist مانولو فالديس is showcasing his small-scale sculptures in his second solo exhibition at Opera Gallery in Atlantis The Royal, Dubai...
Hartwig Fischer, ex-director of the British Museum, has been named as the founding director of Saudi Arabia’s new Museum of World Cultures
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.
Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) hosted its third annual FTA 2021 Prize today in Doha, Qatar, at the National Museum.
Tarek Al-Ghoussein has an ability to immerse himself in projects that require commitment over an extended period of time.
Between May and August, you are likely to encounter a park in Australia completely covered in spider web.
A light that uses ultraviolet radiation to sanitize outdoor spaces, claiming this could reduce the risk of people contracting Covid-19.
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.
Disneyland Paris will remain closed for the holiday season despite its initial plan to welcome back visitors in time for Christmas celebrations.
Mango started a project to replace paper packaging with paper bags, becoming the first major textile company to do so in Spain.
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.
TU Delft researcher Bob Hendrikx has created Living Cocoon, a coffin made from mycelium that helps bodies decompose faster while improving the surrounding soil.
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.
Businesses in Italy are reviving the tradition of selling wine and other drinks from tiny wall hatches known as wine windows. The tradition dates back to the 1600s when Italy was in the grip of another pandemic.
Zaha Hadid Architects has designed a modular housing for a site off the coast of Honduras with curved roofs and rounded balconies that can be customised by residents.
This Conceptual Cable Car System Rethinks Urban Transportation
Swiss designer Yves Behar has unveiled his design for French ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau's underwater pressurised research station that will be "the ocean's equivalent to the International Space Station".
New Mummies Discovered in Egypt May Hold Clues to Finally Finding Cleopatra's Tomb
British firm Foster + Partners has unveiled a masterplan for a site in Beverly Hills that will include plant-covered residences and elevated botanical gardens.
A new watch museum that is a pavilion for the art and science of watchmaking has just opened in Switzerland's watchmaking heartland, Vallée de Joux.
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.
Altering the aesthetic of conventional school uniforms, Kim added unusual materials and elements such as beanbags and leg warmers to her garments.
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.
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.
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.
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.
At the police barracks at Dhaka’s Gulshan area in the diplomatic zone, members of the force began their day on Thursday with yoga sessions.
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.
This Conceptual Fire Department Vehicle is Futuristic
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.
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 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.
The Conceptual 'Qworkntine' Office Pods Help Protect Employees
The Couch A Vibe Festival Presents an Online Music Experience
The Surf Lakes Wave Pool Generates 2,000 Waves Per Hour
The 'Zeus' Smart Wallet Thwarts Thieves in Multiple Ways
The 'AERIAL A1' Tree Tent Hammock Offers a Comfy Space to Rest
the Dutch fashion designer explains how working with architects has informed her approach to textile design and led to her working on a full-scale museum extension last year.
Though Patagonia is well known for its sustainable designs, the brand's Spring/Summer 2020 collection features a host of eco-friendly innovations.
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.
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.
Lucas and her team of 12 dogs help make grocery deliveries across northern Maine.
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.
A museum visitor looking at Edward Hopper's Morning Sun (1952).
American architect Marc Thorpe has developed a conceptual installation near Marfa and the border of Mexico that resembles a large spaceship landing on earth.
Voluminous baby doll dresses, a dreamy combination of chic and effortless.
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
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Monday that the annual Met gala, scheduled to take place on May 4, has been postponed indefinitely.
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.
Consider the environment when making your decor choices
JA Manafaru Maldives has recently announced its exclusive operation as an all-inclusive resort, providing international guests with the best value for money on the island to date.
Nada Debs has privileged the hexagonal motif in the LJUV collection.
A new resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, consists entirely of treehouses.
"Ready-to-wear has been a growth area," said Tamara Ralph. "Within a season or two, sales will outpace couture."
A Chinese architect designed a shield that would protect a wearer during a coronavirus outbreak by using UV light to sterilise itself.
menswear designer Harikrishnan has matched cropped tailored jackets with billowing latex trousers to create exaggerated silhouettes.
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.
Design Museum celebrates the electronic history of Kraftwerk, Chemical Brothers and Aphex Twin.
Seoul Fashion Week was scheduled for March 17-21 has been cancelled, as cases of the coronavirus continue to rapidly increase within South Korea.
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”.