421 Arts Campus Presents Fall 2026 Public Program in Abu Dhabi
- Running until 18 December, the season brings more than 30 workshops, writing programs, performances and public events to 421 Arts Campus in Mina Zayed
- 421 and afikra’s Localized Futures: Conversations returns with panels on cities, communities and the arts, featuring Faisal Al Hassan, Reem Fadda, Stephanie Rosenthal, and other regional cultural leaders.
- Upcoming highlights include Maktaba: The Edible Library, which brings reading and eating to the same table; a bilingual majlis on translation; and The Public Studio, a day of drop-in creative activities and a market of handmade works.
421 Arts Campus Studio Sessions. Image Courtesy of 421 Arts Campus. Photography by the Frei.
Abu Dhabi, UAE – 8 October 2026 – 421 Arts Campus presents its Fall 2026 public program in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, with more than 30 workshops, writing programs, performances, family activities and public events running until 18 December.
This season, 421 looks at how places hold memories and bring people together. From personal archives to walks through Mina Zayed, the program invites participants to look more closely at their surroundings and the stories they hold.
The program runs alongside two major exhibitions, which opened on 4 October. Revelation, Juma Alhaj’s first institutional solo exhibition, sees the UAE-based artist expand his practice beyond painting into installation, following his participation in 421’s Artistic Development Program. Archipelago of Whispers, curated by Deniz Kirkali and Elham Puriya Mehr, explores informal ways of sharing and creating knowledge, from whispers and gossip to murmurs and storytelling.
The 421 x afikra Localized Futures: Conversations series returns, with Cities & Communities (20 October) and The Arts (27 October) bringing regional cultural leaders and practitioners into conversation about the places and cultural institutions shaping the region. Panels are moderated by Dr. Pradeep Sharma (Director of the Arts, Culture and Heritage program at the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation) and Mikey Muhanna (Founder & Executive Director of afikra).
Returning programs include A Writing Practice with Sarah Afaneh, an evolution of the former Pencil In series; Tatreez Circle with Joanna Barakat; and Maktaba, 421’s speculative thought circle, a monthly gathering dedicated to collective reading and discussion across disciplines.
Faisal Al Hassan, Director of 421 Arts Campus, says: “This Fall, we are thinking about the relationship between artistic practice and the places we inhabit every day. Being in Mina Zayed, and particularly within MiZa, gives our campus a particular relationship with its surroundings, and this season we invite our community to look more closely at the histories, memories and everyday experiences held within those spaces. Through observation, research and experimentation, the program creates different ways of engaging with the city, with artistic practice, and with one another.”
FALL 2026 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Special Events
The 421 x afikra Localized Futures: Conversations series returns this Fall with two panel discussions on cities, communities and the arts. Cities & Communities (20 October) brings together Reem Fadda, Director of Cultural Foundation and Director of Culture Programming at DCT Abu Dhabi; Dr. Alamira Reem Al Hashimi, General Manager of Madar_39; and Khulood Al Atiyat, Deputy General Manager at MIZA Abu Dhabi; and Professor Adina Hempel, Director of Zayed Institute for Architecture, Heritage, and Arts for a conversation moderated by Dr. Pradeep Sharma, Director of the Arts, Culture and Heritage program at the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. The Arts (27 October) brings together Faisal Al Hassan, Director of 421 Arts Campus; Stephanie Rosenthal, Director of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project; Vilma Jurkute, and Shaikha Nawar Al Qassimi, Vice President of Sharjah Art Foundation.
The Public Studio: Printing, Paper-Making, and Painting (14 November) invites visitors of all ages to drop in, move between creative stations and experiment with materials at their own pace.
The Practice Lab
Interventions on Memory and Musical Ephemera with Palestinian artist Nada Almosa (17 October) grew out of her discovery of her mother’s cassette tape collection. Participants draw on their own family photographs, music and memories to make a collaged zine that fits inside a cassette case, creating a small personal archive to take home.
Constructing the Invisible City with artist and architect Nanelle Jayawardene (24 October) begins with a guided walk through Mina Zayed. Through observation, mapping and collaborative exercises, participants explore how social habits, memories and encounters shape the experience of public space.
In Tiles as Topography (7–8 November), ceramic artist Parneet Pahwa invites participants to use clay, texture and relief to create tiles inspired by real or imagined landscapes.
Tatreez Circle with Joanna Barakat (18 October and 6 December) brings people with a basic knowledge of Palestinian embroidery together to work on their own pieces, exchange techniques and connect through the practice of stitching. The recurring sessions are also building towards a collective embroidery project to be shown at 421.
The Writers’ Quarters
A Writing Practice with Palestinian artist Sarah Afaneh returns as a six-session series pairing guided poetry writing with group workshops. Beginning on 22 October with poetry written in response to Archipelago of Whispers, it goes on to explore visual and prose poetry, with time to share work and receive feedback after each teaching session.
On 31 October, Frankenstein with The BookClub brings readers together to revisit Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, exploring the novel’s enduring questions around creation, responsibility, identity and technology.
Between Two Tongues (27 November), a bilingual majlis moderated by Maryam Al Dabbagh, invites participants to bring a passage in Arabic or English and discuss what can be lost, changed or discovered in translation.
The Speculative Circle
In The Public Lecture: Anatomy of Gatherings (5 November), artist and architect Nanelle Jayawardene draws on theatre, hospitality and everyday public life to consider what turns a crowd into a gathering, and what remains after people part.
Maktaba: The Edible Library with artist and chef Moza Almatrooshi (12 November) brings reading and eating to the same table. Centred on honey and beekeeping, the session pairs texts with food to explore how agricultural research can be shared through taste and conversation.
Intergenerational Learning
421 Family Day returns on 21 November, bringing children and families together for a day of creative activities at 421.
In Saloua Choucair’s Interlocking Forms with Zara Peters (25 October), children and families draw inspiration from the artist’s Poem of Nine Verses to paint and assemble cardboard shapes into sculptures they can rearrange.
Everything Is Whimsical: A Creative Workout with illustrator and multimedia artist Mouza Al Hamrani (22 November) invites participants to combine things they enjoy into unexpected new creations, using a range of materials and prompts before sharing their work in a mini exhibition.
In The Traditional Weaving of Al Sadu (13 December), parents and children learn about the Emirati weaving tradition and make their own keychains and bracelets under the guidance of Sawada Alkhyeli.
Professional Development
Performance as is, Performing with Abu Dhabi-based artist Yoonsik Chico Park (25 October) brings performance theory into practice through readings, discussion and exercises using gesture, movement and interaction. Participants explore how meaning takes shape through performing, both individually and together.
The Artist Toolkit (6–8 November) is a three-day course led by Jolaine Frizzell, Nasser Abdulla and Andrew Riad . It offers artists and creative practitioners practical guidance on finding suitable open calls and grants, writing stronger applications and understanding how selection committees assess them.