Eid Al Fitr may be a relatively quiet moment on the local arts scene, but it also marks the last few days of several exhibitions in the UAE, as galleries and institutions prepare to launch a new slate of shows.
From a sculptures examining how we internalise the ugliness of the world, to works by francophone women artists living in the UAE, here are three exhibitions to see this weekend.
Lumieres de Femmes at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is hosting an exhibition in honour of International Women’s Rights Day. Titled Lumieres de Femmes, it has been organised in collaboration with AD'Art Collective, a francophone community of artists in Abu Dhabi, as well as The Feminin Pluriel Collective, a global network for women across professional and artistic sectors. The exhibition is supported by arts patrons Fairouz and Jean-Paul Villain.
Lumieres de Femmes features works by 23 French and francophone women artists living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It brings together paintings, photographs, illustrations and ceramics.
Participants include French artists Karine Roche, a painter known for vibrant landscapes that blend urban and natural elements, and Benedicte Gimonnet, who takes a minimal approach to exploring the interactions of colour and light, as well as Emirati artist Khulood Al Jabri, who embeds cultural motifs in her dynamic and textured canvases.
Monday to Thursday, 8am-4pm; Friday, 8am-4pm; until March 29; Atrium of SUAD Campus, Abu Dhabi
Vestiges at Ayyam Gallery
Athar Jaber's first solo exhibition in Dubai presents a series of sculptures produced as far back as 2014, but which he believes embody his artistic intentions.
The works, which feature contorted and disfigured human bodies, aim to explore how we internalise the ugliness of the world today.
“People are sometimes disturbed or shocked by my work,” the Iraqi-Dutch sculptor told The National. “But then, look at what we have been fed through the media. Seeing what we've seen, I can't make beautiful things that just embellish and adorn.”
“It speaks more to a state of being,” he added. “An interior one of anxiety, of uncertainty, of unclear identity. I won't speak for everyone, but I think many of us feel that, right?”
Monday to Friday, 10am-6pm; Saturday, noon-6pm; until April 1; Ayyam Gallery, Dubai
Of Dust and Woven Air: Seher Shah at Green Art Gallery
In Of Dust and Woven Air, Karachi-born artist Seher Shah uses drawing, printmaking and poetry to explore the concepts of absence and memory.
The exhibition draws inspiration from The Dacca Gauzes by Indian-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, which conjured up Shah's memories of her maternal family and their experiences in various cities. The poem spurred what the exhibition describes as “emotional cartography” that draws a line between the seaports of Chittagong, Chennai and Kochi, as well as Karachi and the Arabian Sea.
Through her works, Shah “reveals a quiet poetry of loss and erasure, tracing what lingers long after it has disappeared”, the exhibition description states.
Monday to Saturday, 11am-7pm; until April 5; Green Art Gallery, Dubai
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
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The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
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