From thought-provoking art exhibitions and installations to a cool film festival highlighting talent in the UAE, we’ve got your next culture outing sorted.
A Terranean Love Note at Tashkeel
Tashkeel’s latest solo exhibition, A Terranean Love Note by Mays Albaik, explores moments of contact between the self and placehood through a series of spatial interventions, sculpture and video work. The exhibition is a culmination of Albaik’s year-long research and development on the Critical Practice Programme 2020 at Tashkeel with mentors Ala Younes and Lawrence Abu Hamdan.
Free. Open Sat-Thu 10am-8pm. Ongoing until Sun Feb 28. Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, www.tashkeel.org.
Al Ain Film Festival
Love films? Al Ain Film Festival is back for a third year running in 2021. Returning this January, the event will take place in the Garden City from Saturday January 23 to Wednesday January 27 under the theme ‘Future Cinema’. The festival is known for showcasing and celebrating the work of local filmmakers and helping to highlight the talent in the UAE and the GCC. During the festival a number of European films, previously screened at festivals in the continent, will be shown in Al Ain to boost cultural connections between Europe and the Middle East. Popcorn at the ready.
Sat Jan 23-Wed Jan 27. Ali Ain, Abu Dhabi, www.alainfilmfest.com.
Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop
Celebrating the history of hip-hop, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is now showing at Abu Dhabi’s community arts hub, Manarat Al Saadiyat. Abu Dhabi is the first international location to host the exhibition, reflecting the growing fan base in the region. The exhibition features more than 200 images by 60 photographers, capturing rarely seen images of artists including Kanye West, Cardi B, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion, MF Doom, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Aaliyah, A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, and Notorious B.I.G.
Dhs30. Ongoing until Mon May 31. Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, www.sole.digital/contacthighad.
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Listen up bookworms, the Emirates Festival of Literature is coming back to Dubai this month, and bringing with it loads of award-winning talent. The impressive line-up features a who’s who of the literary world, including Lebanese poet Zeina Hashem Beck, the award-winning Ali Sparkes, and British actor, rapper, comedian and screenwriter Ben Bailey Smith – to name a few. The festival, which will be spread out across Dubai, kicks off on Friday January 29 at Jameel Arts Centre and will end on Saturday February 13 at Alserkal Avenue.
Prices vary. Fri Jan 29-Sat Feb 13. Various locations across Dubai, www.emirateslitfest.com.
Kenny Scharf at Opera Gallery
American sculptor Kenny Scharf (best known from the Lowbrow movement – an underground visual art movement that arose in Los Angeles in the late 1970s) is showcasing some of his best popular pieces at Dubai’s Opera Gallery in DIFC. A self-described “pop surrealist”, Scharf uses a range of techniques to create worlds filled with floating doughnuts, cartoon characters and bright, often-anthropomorphic blobs.
Free. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu 10am-midnight, Fri 2pm-9pm. Sat 11am-9pm. Ongoing. Gate Village 3, DIFC (04 323 0909).
The Seed
If you’re an art fan, you can’t have missed this. The Seed, a cube-shaped moving piece of art by famed creative director Es Devlin, with a team of Emirati creatives, is on show until Saturday January 30. The stunning piece shows the evolution of a seed through various stages of its lifespan, using light and sound, and is nestled in a new beach area at Jubail Mangrove Park. Tickets cost Dhs30 for anyone 18 and above, Dhs15 for kids ages seven to 17 and free for anyone younger. Money from ticket sales will fund a conservation programme in the mangroves.
Dhs30 (adults), Dhs15 (kids aged seven-17), free (six and under). Ongoing until Sat Jan 30. Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, www.uaenationalday.ae.
