The summer heat may have left us all a bit drained but it’s time to channel your artistic talent, pump up the imagination and get those creative juices flowing once more.
Luckily, when it comes to letting your inner artist run wild Manarat Al Saadiyat has it all. From this month you can expect vibrant exhibitions, international film screenings, performances and intellectual discussions. The options vary from music to photography and include some weird and wacky workshops that everyone can get involved in, regardless of age or skill.
Exhibition
You can find Mexican artist Jorge Marin’s brilliant sculpture Wings of Mexico on display in the gallery, having visited Kuwait, Egypt, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Bangkok previously.
The iconic sculpture, which was created in 2010, has become a symbol of hopes and dreams of the citizens of whichever country it’s been in, and it’s slowly becoming a hashtag phenomenon – so don’t forget to take your picture alongside it.
Free. Sep 9-Oct 31, 9am-8pm.
Film & art studio
The gallery will also showcase a range of local and international film screenings, and continue to offer art classes, workshops and studio drop-ins. Aimed at all age groups and all levels of ability, you are bound to find a variety of techniques, styles and themes to suit your creative flow. Be sure to take a visit over to see the sizzling new selection at the cultural hub and prepared to be inspired by what awaits.
Register at manaratalsaadiyat@dctabudhabi.ae (02 657 5800).
Music
The music scene has turned the volume up, too, with a series of workshops conducted by the Kharsha group. The group of young Emirati and Japanese drummers will teach the increasingly popular Taiko (the Japanese art of playing drums) in an interactive and intensive session. Boogie Box, an electronic sound event run by DJ Hassan Alwan, and Music Jams (a live performance for established and amateur musicians), will also be on during the month if drumming isn’t quite to your liking. And, if that music is all a bit too fast-paced, open your ears to Rooftop Rhythms, Abu Dhabi’s community-run open mic poetry and spoken word performances.
Drums by Kharsha: Dhs100. Saturdays 2pm-3pm (kids over seven), Sundays from 6.30pm (for adults 20 and above). .
Boogie Box: Free. Sep 15 5pm-8pm.
Music Jams: Free. Sep 5 & 19 7pm-11pm. Larte.
Rooftop Rhythms Arabia: Free. Sep 14 6.30pm-8.30pm.
Registration is required at manaratalsaadiyat@dctabudhabi.ae (02 657 5800).
Photography
The launch of the photography studio in Manarat Al Saadiyat will kick off with an exhibition by photographer Jassim Al Awadhi, The Presence of Absence, which plans to bring the UAE photography community together.
Monthly courses ranging from basic photography to studio lighting and photo editing alongside exhibitions and talks will then kick-start the world of digital photography in the gallery.
Be sure not to miss the exhibition Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes, which invited professionals and amateurs to capture the essence of Abu Dhabi and submit their pictures to be displayed.
Studio opening: Free. Sep 12 6pm-10pm. Abu Dhabi Through Your Eyes: Free. Sep 16-24 9am-8pm.
Workshops
The gallery invites aspiring vloggers, social media influencers and mobile reporters to enhance their video storytelling skills with a ‘video for social media’ workshop.
Not for you? Okay, how about the gallery’s parkour workshop instead? You will be jumping right into the basics of movement, strength and focus to get you from points A to B, using the obstacles in your way.
The gallery is also offering a robotics workshop where you can learn all about the technology and programming that go into making robots. There’s also going to be a robot sumo wrestling match, which is what we’re most interested in.
Registration at manaratalsaadiyat@dctabudhabi.ae (02 657 5800).
Open daily 9am-8pm. Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Island (02 657 5800).
