Exploring the UAE Art Scene: 12 Must-See Exhibitions Across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah

Art events continue to thrive across the UAE this summer, with galleries and cultural institutions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah hosting a diverse lineup of exhibitions. Current highlights feature A Board Game Adventure at Louvre Abu Dhabi, exploring the evolution of historic games like chess, Mancala, Ludo, and Carrom; Hamad Al Muzaini’s debut solo exhibition, Precarious Beings, at Tashkeel, investigating urban adaptation and everyday city behaviors; and Body Quotidian at Sharjah Art Foundation, showcasing recent works by Laila Majid and Inaam Zafar. Together, these displays highlight a broad spectrum of artistic practices, ranging from photography and works on paper to sculpture, design, craft, and painting.

Here are 12 standout exhibitions to explore across the UAE:

1. Seeing Ourselves at Bassam Freiha Art Foundation

Developed through a year-long collaboration between Bassam Freiha Art Foundation and the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University, Seeing Ourselves features student-led photography documenting the UAE through architectural, portrait, and landscape imagery. The project shifts authorship toward contemporary Emirati perspectives, showcasing young artists from photography, graphic design, and visual arts programmes. On view until August 31 in Abu Dhabi.

2. Spectrum: Becoming Visible, Becoming Image at Manarat Al Saadiyat

Showcasing the fourth cohort of Manarat Al Saadiyat's Photographer-in-Residence Programme, Spectrum brings together 10 UAE-based photographers and visual artists mentored by Jassem Rabee Al Awadi. Featuring photography, video, sculpture, textiles, and mixed-media installation, the exhibition explores motifs like stars, pearls, and ghaf trees. On view until September 1 in Abu Dhabi.

3. The Two Walks: Works on Paper Selected by Judy Karkour at Carbon 12

Curated by artist Judy Karkour, The Two Walks presents new and archival works on paper by 14 artists at Alserkal Avenue's Carbon 12, treating paper as a complete and expressive medium exploring memory, abstraction, and environmental fragility. Participating artists include Sarah Almehairi, Amir Khojasteh, Bernhard Buhmann, Faris Alshafar, Nour Malas, Solimar Miller, Amba Sayal-Bennett, Andre Butzer, Monika Grabuschnigg, Mayar Obedo, Nadine Ghandour, Edgar Orlaineta, Olaf Breuning, and Philip Mueller. On view until September 5 in Dubai.

4. Human in the Loop at 421 Arts Campus

In his first institutional solo exhibition, artist and engineer Ahmad AlAttar transforms robotics and artificial intelligence into an interactive installation of sound, touch, and discovery. Visitors search for an unseen algorithm hidden within the gallery space by pulling hanging ropes and listening to shifting soundscapes. On view until September 13 in Abu Dhabi.

5. Time That Grows Slowly at Dom Art Projects

Curated by Alexander Burenkov, this exhibition brings together 12 artists to examine time through the rhythms of plant life, proposing growth and decay as alternatives to linear progress. Participating artists include Maha Alasaker, Srijon Chowdhury, Odonchimeg Davaadorj, Patricia Dominguez, Kwama Frigaux, Mevlana Lipp, Sulafa Mohammed, Tabita Rezaire, Shaima Shamsi, Farah Soltani, Antoine Renard, and Nadia Waheed. On view until September 13 in Dubai.

6. In Plain Sight at Gallery Isabelle

Azza Al Zaal’s solo exhibition offers an intimate exploration of the UAE landscape through paintings, works on paper, and ceramics focusing on familiar trees and plants in locations like Al Khawaneej and Abu Dhabi mangroves. Informed by the optical theories of Ibn Al Haytham, the works examine how vision is shaped by memory and context. On view until September 15 in Dubai.

7. In Abstracto, In Concreto: On Memory and Presence at Efie Gallery

Curated by Brice Arsene Yonkeu, this exhibition brings together four artists of African descent—Luke Agada, Ludovic Nkoth, Naila Opiangah, and Tunji Adeniyi-Jones—using the human body to explore identity, memory, and diasporic experiences across painting and charcoal drawing. On view until September 17 in Dubai.

8. Tangerine Dreams at Ayyam Gallery

This group exhibition brings together artists including Sama Alshaibi, Abdalla Al Omari, Tammam Azzam, Thaier Helal, Leila Nseir, Faisal Samra, Khaled Takreti, and Kais Salman to explore how the single colour orange evokes contrasting emotional and psychological associations. Accompanied by poetry from Roisin Kelly, the show runs until September 18 in Dubai.

9. Body Quotidian at Sharjah Art Foundation

Curated by Raja’a Khalid, Body Quotidian places sculptures, photographs, and paintings by Laila Majid and Inaam Zafar in dialogue, exploring the human body through surfaces, domestic spaces, and materials that evoke flesh and touch. On view until September 20 in Sharjah.

10. Vantage Point 13 at Sharjah Art Foundation

Marking a new chapter for the foundation's photography platform in a dedicated gallery, this exhibition features newly commissioned series by Adam Rouhana, Guanyu Xu, Latifa AlBokhari, Luisa Dorr, Maheder Haileselassie, and Sathish Kumar. On view until November 29 in Sharjah.

11. Precarious Beings at Tashkeel

Presented at Tashkeel Nad Al Sheba as part of the Critical Practice Programme, Kuwaiti architect and artist Hamad Al Muzaini uses photography, drawing, and sculpture to examine how people adapt to cities and shape urban spaces. On view from September 1 to October 11 in Dubai.

12. A Board Game Adventure at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Transforming the museum into a giant playground, this exhibition traces the history of games like chess, Mancala, Ludo, and Carrom through rare artefacts borrowed from international museums alongside immersive interactive displays. On view until April 25, 2027, in Abu Dhabi.