

Season Program
Winter 2023: RE/COLLECT THIS
15 January 2023 - 21 March 2023
The Winter 2023 Season presents four major exhibitions and over 20 workshops, talks, and special events that interrogate contemporary modes of memory-making and how they shape our understanding of the past, present, and future.
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Special Events
Curator led tours of 'And The Mirrors Are Many'
4 February 2023 - 22 April 2023
10:00 - 21:00
Join exhibition curator Mona Al-Jadir for a special guided tour of the major exhibition And The Mirrors are Many. This 45-minute tour will include an in-depth discussion around the themes of the exhibition and an overview of the artworks on display. The tour also includes a performance by artist Reem Almenahli.
Image: Sara Smarrazzo. Untitled II : 2020, Asinara Island, Sardinia - Coral, 2020. Silver gelatin lith print. 30 cm x 40 cm. Courtesy of the artist
Image ID: A close up of Sara Smarrazzo’s artwork, which features a coral that is branching outwards, positioned in front of a round shape that resembles the moon.

Exhibitions
And The Mirrors Are Many
5 February 2023 - 8 May 2023
10:00 - 20:00
And The Mirrors Are Many investigates institutional repositories of memory–the museum, the memorial and the archive–and poses the questions: why do we remember, and how?
This exhibition is curated by Mona Al-Jadir and emerged from a year-long journey as part of the 421 Curatorial Development Exhibition Program in collaboration with The Bombay Institute for Critical Analysis and Research (BICAR) and with mentorship from curator Sabih Ahmed.
Photo: Hedeyeh Badri. "I Wanted To Be A Mother", 2019. Textile; Jacquard-woven cotton, wool and acrylic. Dimensions variable. Photo: Hedeyeh Badri. Courtesy of the artist
Image ID:
Hadeyeh Badri’s rectangular distressed textile work shows lumps of tattered orange and red threads hanging vertically and in clusters. Threads are looping horizontally from the textile, almost creating a loose semi-circle shape.
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Exhibitions
Mahshid Rafiei: Of Mythic Proportions
5 February 2023 - 8 May 2023
10:00 - 20:00
The first solo exhibition presenting the work of Mahshid Rafiei, Of Mythic Proportions is a large-scale installation of five newly commissioned works.
This exhibition is a result of the 421 Artistic Development Exhibition Program, which is organized in collaboration with pedagogical partner The Institute of Emerging Art. Of Mythic Proportions is the inaugural presentation of the 2023 edition of the program.
Image courtesy of Mahshid Rafiei
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Mahshid Rafiei’s artwork titled chora is a large, smooth, matte gray sphere. The surface of the circular work is made out of glass and is coated with silver oxide and a gray film-forming.
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Performances
Performance by Reem Almenhali
5 February 2023 - 8 May 2023
In this performance, Reem Al Menhali presents a series of poems of varying lengths, tones, and rhythms that reimagine historical time-keeping.
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Exhibitions
Round 4: 100/100: Hundred Best Arabic Posters
5 February 2023 - 5 March 2023
Supported by 421, this year’s edition of the 100/100: Hundred Best Arabic Posters competition drew thousands of submissions from over 40 countries. The selected design entries, which are part of the 4th edition of the competition, are presented at an exhibition that is on view from February 5 to March 5, 2023 at 421.
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Special Events
Winter 2023 Exhibitions Opening Reception
5 February 2023
16:00 - 21:00
The opening reception will include tours, a talk and performance, as well as a live DJ set by Isaac Sullivan.
Image: Nasser Alzayani. Wardat Al Mustashar or The Advisor’s Flower, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
Image ID: Nasser Alzayani’s project shows a patchwork of contrasting black and white translucent images layered on a bright background.The background creates a stark contrast against the dark visuals. The images are different versions of the same pressed multi-leaf stalk and flowers.
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Season Program
The Living Archive
5 February 2023 - 21 March 2023
As part of our Winter 2023 Season, we invite visitors to head to our front desk to pick up recycled seed paper, which includes various fruit and vegetable seeds to be planted in the pots located in Courtyard 2. The seed paper can be planted after writing a meaningful memory on it.
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Workshops
Introduction to Palestinian Tatreez
11 February 2023
18:00 - 20:00
Take part in Joanna Barakat’s Palestinian embroidery, or Tatreez, workshop where she introduces the history of this traditional practice.
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Culture Buses
Culture Bus: Sharjah Biennial 15
12 February 2023
13:00 - 22:00
The 421 Culture Bus is ready to take you on a guided journey through Sharjah Biennial 15!
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Workshops
Internal Landscapes: A Movement Workshop
15 February 2023
18:00 - 20:00
Open to participants of all experience levels, this workshop is for those who are curious about how process memory and past experiences through movement. This workshop presents performance and movement as healing practices that can help us translate embedded memory into embodied expression.
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Special Events
Stepping Forward: Performance Research and Practice, Here
18 February 2023 - 19 February 2023
Presented by 421, Alserkal Arts Foundation, and New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Stepping Forward: Performance Research and Practice, Here is a convening that brings together artists, curators, academics, and practitioners to consider critical questions around performance practice emerging from the MENASA region.
A full public program schedule is provided here.
Day 1 |Saturday February 18 | 421, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi | REGISTER
Day 2 I Sunday February 19 | Warehouse 51, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai | REGISTER

Workshops
Remember to Forget to Remember
25 February 2023
13:00 - 17:00
Join artist, photographer, and poet Augustine Paredes in this one-day intensive workshop that invites you to explore alternative techniques of memory-making.
Image courtesy of Augustine Paredes
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Workshops
Homemade Superfood Za’atar with Manal and Darah
5 March 2023
14:00 - 16:00
Join mom-daughter duo Manal and Darah in this homemade Za’atar making session. In the session, home chef Manal will introduce you to the history of Za’atar, a staple culinary spice mixture in Levantine households.
Part of Jamming Sessions: Homecooking Series
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Culture Buses
Culture Bus: Art Dubai
5 March 2023
12:30 - 7:30
This March, the 421 Culture Bus is ready to take you on a guided journey through Art Dubai!
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Special Events
Film Weekend with Cinema Akil
10 March 2023 - 12 March 2023
17:00 - 22:00
Join us for a weekend of film screenings, panel discussions, and talks celebrating Arab cinema.
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Workshops
List it Out: An Experimental Writing Workshop
12 March 2023
15:00 - 17:00
Join artist Fatema Al Fardan in a one-day writing workshop, List it Out: An Experimental Writing Workshop. Investigating list-making as part poetry, part prose, and part autobiography, this workshop explores the works of artists, writers, and creatives who have harnessed the list as a form of self-expression.
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Culture Buses
Culture Bus: March Meeting
12 March 2023
The 421 Culture Bus is ready to take you to Sharjah Art Foundation’s March Meeting!
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Short Courses
The Artist Toolkit: Strategies for Applying to Open Calls
17 March 2023 - 19 March 2023
This in-person three-day course addresses the challenges artists and creative practitioners face when applying for open calls, grants, and other career opportunities. In the session, instructor Jolain Frizzell will introduce strategies on how to find and apply for the right opportunities for your career, and best practices when it comes to application writing.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/cU56tcU9K7CsbQd59
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Workshops
Excavating 421: Archiving the Present
18 March 2023
16:30 - 18:00
In this workshop, participants will explore and excavate the urban environment in Mina Zayed, collecting found objects to be cast in plaster or etched.
Image courtesy of Hala Alabora
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Workshops
Memory Makers with Early Starters
18 March 2023 - 19 March 2023
17:00 - 20:00
Join us for an exciting journey through time and memory in this drop-in arts session! The session offers fun and creative activities for children that encourage them to think about memory in imaginative ways through storytelling, drawing, doodling, coloring, painting, and much more.
The sessions are designed in a drop-in format so families are welcome to bring their children anytime between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
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Workshops
Neighbourhood Food Tour: Mina Zayed
19 March 2023
15:00 - 18:00
Join Abu Dhabi foodie Zain Mustafa on a culinary tour of Mina Zayed.
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