Season Program - Winter 2025 Program

Season Program

Winter 2025 Program

22 January 2025 - 21 March 2025

The Winter 2025 program focuses on gentleness, tactile activities, fostering spaces of togetherness, restoration, and a collective sense of renewal. Expect a range of events that center on making for the sake of making—on stitching, writing, walking, cooking, watching, and moving as a shared experience. Cornerstone events like Jamming Sessions, Performance Co/Lab, the Khayal Series, and Pencil In anchor the season, alongside new artist-led workshops, community-led "Stitch In" activations, regionally themed film screenings, and more. 

Running in tandem with the program are the exhibitions, Alla Abdunabi: Are your memories of me enough for you?, and Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh.

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Exhibitions - Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia

Exhibitions

Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia

30 January 2025 - 4 May 2025

Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh features ten works by Abdullah Al Saadi and offers a reflection on his decades-long artistic practice. Expanding on the work initially presented in the UAE National Pavilion at the Biennale di Venezia in 2024, the exhibition is designed to show the prolific artist’s work in the UAE, giving the local arts community and the wider audiences across the country the opportunity to encounter Al Saadi’s practice more intimately. 

 

In his practice, Al Saadi embodies a wanderer, chronicler, cartographer, poet, decipherer,  memory carrier, and storyteller. This exhibition includes works that were produced on his journeys in the wilderness, and invites viewers to explore his creative process in relation to the practices of Arab poets from centuries ago. 

 

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Exhibitions - Alla Abdunabi: Are your memories of me enough for you?

Exhibitions

Alla Abdunabi: Are your memories of me enough for you?

30 January 2025 - 4 May 2025

Alla Abdunabi’s first solo exhibition presents a new body of work that critiques and engages with simulacra, a concept used in philosophy and cultural studies to analyze how symbols shape our perceptions of what is accepted as “real.” The work emphasizes the ways that iconography has been preserved and restored across different periods of history.

 

By doing so, it raises crucial questions about how symbols not only endure but gain new significance as they are continually reintroduced into contemporary contexts. This restoration process, rather than simply reviving a historical moment or object, often reinforces the power structures embedded within them.Through the preservation of these icons in art, museums, or public spaces, Abdunabi investigates their influence and how they shape cultural and political narratives into the future.

 

Alla Abdunabi is participating in the 2025 cycle of the 421 Artistic Development Program, mentored by Jolaine Frizzell.

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Writing Circle - Pencil In

Writing Circle

Pencil In

20 February 2025
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Pencil In is a writers’ group created to provide a supportive environment for writers to write alone, together! We at 421 love the idea of body-doubling (working near or around someone to help stay focused and engaged) when we are working, writing, and creating.

 

Open to ages 18 and above.

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Workshops - Abu Dhabi Food Trails: Old Time Favorites

Workshops

Abu Dhabi Food Trails: Old Time Favorites

21 February 2025
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

We believe food is one of the best ways to explore a city – offering a direct connection to its cultural fabric and history. Join us for ‘Abu Dhabi Food Trails’, our unique food walk series, where we’ll use food as a lens to discover the vibrant culinary landscape of the UAE, all while making friends with fellow foodies.

 

Each session will feature a different theme, guiding us through a new trail of restaurant. This walk features some of Abu Dhabi's oldest and most historically significant restaurants—living landmarks of the city’s past that have preserved traditions through decades of change.

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Workshops - Stitch In

Workshops

Stitch In

22 February 2025
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Join us for ‘Stitch-In for Palestine’, a tatreez workshop series where you’ll learn to embroider meaningful motifs.

Participants will begin by stitching a beginner-friendly motif—a grave or a flower—to honor the departed souls of Palestine. These individual pieces will be gathered to form a public, communal artwork: a shared space of mourning and reflection.

 

This is a beginner friendly workshop; no prior embroidery experience is required!

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Children's Workshops - Khayal Series (Ages 6+)

Children's Workshops

Khayal Series (Ages 6+)

22 February 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this February!

 

This session is suitable for families with children 6 and over. Parents and guardians are welcome to join the session and support their little ones.

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Children's Workshops - Messy Play (Ages 1 to 6)

Children's Workshops

Messy Play (Ages 1 to 6)

23 February 2025
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Sundays at 421 just got a whole lot messier!

 

Join us for Messy Play, a hands-on workshop series for young explorers ages 1-6, led by Hannah Phillips.

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Jamming Session - Emirati Eats

Jamming Session

Emirati Eats

23 February 2025
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Join the daughter-mother duo Meera and her mother for this special Jamming Session!

In this hands-on cooking class, you'll learn to make two traditional Emirati dishes: thareed & balaleet.

‘Jamming Sessions: Home Cooking Series’ is a workshop series led by UAE’s home chefs. Each session features a family duo who teach participants their traditional recipes as handed down through their relatives. The sessions are accompanied by a playlist that sets the scene of a home kitchen.

 

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Performances - Performance Soiree: 421 Performance Co//ective Showcase

Performances

Performance Soiree: 421 Performance Co//ective Showcase

23 February 2025
6:00 PM - 9:00 pm

Join us for Performance Co//ective’s first showcase! 

 

Experience captivating performances by the program’s first cohort, co-facilitated by Mary Chase and Carlos Paez Gonzalez. These works are the culmination of months of exploration in movement, writing, vocal expression, and more, developed as part of this innovative program.

 

 

 

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Special Events - Palette to Pedagogy: Teachers Evening

Special Events

Palette to Pedagogy: Teachers Evening

25 February 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Join us for an educators evening  to explore artworks in our two winter exhibitions. In Gallery 1, Alla Abdunabi’s solo exhibition “Are your memories of me enough for you?” invites viewers to engage with the complexities of symbol preservation and its impact on power dynamics. The exhibition critiques how icons, particularly the narrative of the Barbary Lion, highlights the lasting effects of colonial violence on cultural memory.

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Film Screenings - Film Screening Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia' (DAY 1)

Film Screenings

Film Screening Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia' (DAY 1)

27 February 2025
10:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Join us for an inspiring Ramadan program that promises to provoke thought, spark dialogue, and celebrate the power of cinema as a medium for collective introspection.

 

Inspired by the themes explored in Abdullah Al Saadi’s Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, the program invites audiences to reflect on the intricate interplay between remembrance and forgetting, evoking profound connections to collective and personal histories.

 

 

 

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Film Screenings - Film Screening Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia' (DAY 2)

Film Screenings

Film Screening Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia' (DAY 2)

6 March 2025
10:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Join us for an inspiring Ramadan program that promises to provoke thought, spark dialogue, and celebrate the power of cinema as a medium for collective introspection.

 

Inspired by the themes explored in Abdullah Al Saadi’s Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, the program invites audiences to reflect on the intricate interplay between remembrance and forgetting, evoking profound connections to collective and personal histories.

 

 

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Ramadan Program - Abu Dhabi Food Trails: Hidden Gems

Ramadan Program

Abu Dhabi Food Trails: Hidden Gems

7 March 2025
10:00 PM - 12:00 AM

We believe food is one of the best ways to explore a city – offering a direct connection to its cultural fabric and history. Join us for ‘Abu Dhabi Food Trails’, our unique food walk series, where we’ll use food as a lens to discover the vibrant culinary landscape of the UAE, all while making friends with fellow foodies.

 

Each session will feature a different theme, guiding us through a new trail of restaurant. This walk spotlights lesser-known cuisines and dishes and explores the stories of the communities they represent.

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Ramadan Program - Writers' Suhoor

Ramadan Program

Writers' Suhoor

9 March 2025
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Join us for a Writers’ Suhoor!

A gathering for wordsmiths, to exchange writings, engage in readings, and connect over food.

This is the perfect chance to share your experiences, discover the inspiration you've been looking for, and exchange ideas while connecting with fellow writers who understand your unique journey.

 

Open to ages 18 and above.

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Ramadan Program - Stitch In

Ramadan Program

Stitch In

13 March 2025
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Join us for ‘Stitch-In for Palestine’, a tatreez workshop series where you’ll learn to embroider meaningful motifs.

Participants will begin by stitching a beginner-friendly motif—a grave or a flower—to honor the departed souls of Palestine. These individual pieces will be gathered to form a public, communal artwork: a shared space of mourning and reflection.

 

This is a beginner friendly workshop; no prior embroidery experience is required!

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Film Screenings - Film Screening Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia' (DAY 3)

Film Screenings

Film Screening Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia' (DAY 3)

15 March 2025
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Join us for an inspiring Ramadan program that promises to provoke thought, spark dialogue, and celebrate the power of cinema as a medium for collective introspection.

 

Inspired by the themes explored in Abdullah Al Saadi’s Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia, the program invites audiences to reflect on the intricate interplay between remembrance and forgetting, evoking profound connections to collective and personal histories.

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Ramadan Program - Filmmakers’ Suhoor: Micro-Films

Ramadan Program

Filmmakers’ Suhoor: Micro-Films

16 March 2025
9:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Join us for an intimate gathering of storytelling, creativity, and community, as we celebrate the power of film during the reflective month of Ramadan.

 

This special evening will feature a showcase of micro-films and works in progress, offering a glimpse into the creative journeys of up-and-coming filmmakers.

 

Open to ages 18 and above.

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Ramadan Program - Stitch In

Ramadan Program

Stitch In

20 March 2025
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Join us for ‘Stitch-In for Palestine’, a tatreez workshop series where you’ll learn to embroider meaningful motifs.

Participants will begin by stitching a beginner-friendly motif—a grave or a flower—to honor the departed souls of Palestine. These individual pieces will be gathered to form a public, communal artwork: a shared space of mourning and reflection.

 

This is a beginner friendly workshop; no prior embroidery experience is required!

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Ramadan Program - Abu Dhabi Food Trails: Lunchbox Classics

Ramadan Program

Abu Dhabi Food Trails: Lunchbox Classics

21 March 2025
10:00 PM - 12:00 AM

We believe food is one of the best ways to explore a city – offering a direct connection to its cultural fabric and history. Join us for ‘Abu Dhabi Food Trails’, our unique food walk series, where we’ll use food as a lens to discover the vibrant culinary landscape of the UAE, all while making friends with fellow foodies.

 

Each session will feature a different theme, guiding us through a new trail of restaurant. This walk will evoke nostalgia and connect us to the essence of street food culture.

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