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. 

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.

Spring 2025 Program

10 April 2025 - 21 June 2025

Our Spring 2025 program invites participants to access memory through unexpected entry points, challenging conventional understandings of memory as purely individual or human-centric. Expect a series of workshops and collaborations that take you on a journey through different 'worlds', mycological, botanical, urban, and internal, each exploring how memory and consciousness function beyond human perception.

This exploration of memory extends from our Winter exhibitions, into our upcoming Spring exhibitions Ana Escobar Saavedra: It Starts Where It Ends, part of the Artistic Development Program, and Unstable Grounds: 2025 MFA Graduate Exhibition, showcasing the work of this year’s graduating cohort at New York University Abu Dhabi. Our current exhibitions “Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia” and “Alla Abdunabi: Are your memories of me enough for you?” will remain on view until May 4.

Fragments from Heaven (2022) | Film Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia'

25 April 2025
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

We are delighted to present Fragments from heaven (2022), from the evocative film program curated by researcher and scholar Rasha Salti.

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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Photowalk: Tracing textures into patterns

26 April 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

While the weather is still at its peak, let’s step into the city with a fresh perspective in this immersive photowalk and alternative image-making workshop. 

Led by an artist and designer, participants will explore the materiality of surfaces, capturing textures, patterns, and repetitions found in everyday spaces. Through creative exercises, photography, and hands-on experimentation, you’ll learn how to translate urban landscapes into visual compositions that blur the line between image and design.

This workshop is 120 AED per participant.

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Messy Play (Ages 1 to 6)

27 April 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.

This workshop is 20 AED per participant.

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Performance Co/Lab

27 April 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to individuals looking to explore movement practices. 

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Theeb (2014) | Film Evening inspired by 'Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia'

3 May 2025
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

We are delighted to present ‘Theeb 2014’, from the evocative film program curated by researcher and scholar Rasha Salti.

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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Collected Histories: Personal Archives and Documentation

4 May 2025
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Collected Histories is a project co-founded by Hind Mezaina and Jasmine Soliman. Through public film screenings, talks and workshops, its aim is to foster discussion on personal documentation and archiving, with an ultimate goal of inspiring and supporting individuals to become ‘citizen archivists’ by cataloguing, and exploring ways to self-publish and preserve personal collections.

Join us for an evening of discovery, preservation, and collective reflection.

Open to ages 16 and above.

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Photowalk: The many lives of Mina Zayed

10 May 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

While the weather is still at its peak, join us for another immersive photowalk, this time, tracing the many lives of the passersby of Mina Zayed.

Led by artist, photographer, and researcher Auguste Nomeikaite, we’ll wander through the sikkas of this ever-evolving neighborhood, capturing shifting landscapes. 

This workshop is 120 AED per participant.

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Performance Co/Lab

11 May 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to individuals looking to explore movement practices.

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Ana Escobar Saavedra: It Starts Where It Ends

18 May 2025 - 7 September 2025

Ana Escobar Saavedra’s first solo exhibition, It Starts Where It Ends, explores the nuances of identity and identification. Through installations and artifacts that serve as repositories of data, memory, and social constructions, Escobar Saavedra examines where the self exists—both within and beyond the physical body—while navigating the tensions between permanence and impermanence, presence and absence.

The cyclical nature of Escobar Saavedra’s work is reflected in the exhibition’s title, It Starts Where It Ends, a phrase that speaks to the transcendence of identity. Just as her work resists linear narratives, her own name—Ana—forms a palindrome, beginning and ending in the same place, mirroring the human negotiation of what it means to be.   

Ana Escobar Saavedra is participating in the 2025 cycle of the 421 Artistic Development Program (ADP), mentored by Jolaine Frizzell.

Unstable Grounds: NYUAD MFA Graduate Exhibition 2025

18 May 2025 - 7 September 2025

Unstable Grounds: NYUAD MFA Graduate Exhibition 2025 presents the work of graduate students completing the two-year Master of Fine Arts in Art and Media at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). Marking the fourth year of collaboration between 421 Arts Campus and NYUAD, this exhibition highlights the research and experimentation of the 2025 MFA cohort, whose work explores the environment, displacement, migration, memory, and human connection. 

The artists in this exhibition, Dima Abou Zannad, Bao, Adele Bea Cipste, Hala El Abora, Mowen Li (Amira), Jude Maharmeh, Safeya Sharif, and Danutė Vaitekūnaitė, engage with themes of the origin stories of flora, fauna, and water as metaphors for environmental and economic cycles; memory and its role in shaping contemporary perceptions; and communion as a site of vulnerability and celebration, reflecting on displacement, community, and belonging.

Pencil In

22 May 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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Sew It Your Way

23 May 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Unravel the art of storytelling through thread in this vibrant, hands-on workshop designed with a love for creativity and self-expression. 

Guided by needle and imagination, you'll transform a plain tote bag into a stitched masterpiece, learning essential embroidery techniques along the way.

No prior experience needed, this workshop encourages art lovers ages 11 and above to join in!

This workshop is 60 AED per participant.

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Stitch In

24 May 2025
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

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

Tatreez, the centuries-old craft of Palestinian embroidery, is a testament to the richness of Palestinian identity and culture. It began with intricate cross-stitch motifs adorning the linen dresses of Palestinian women and has since expanded to embellish garments, household items, and wall pieces.

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

Register Interest

Performance Soiree: 421 Performance Co//ective Showcase

25 May 2025
6:00 PM - 9:00 pm

Join us for another Performance Co//ective showcase! 

Experience captivating performances by the program’s second 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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Pencil In

29 May 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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Khayal Series: Buzzing into the Garden (Ages 6+)

31 May 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join us for another session of Khayal! This time we step into a world of springtime wonders in this enchanting storytelling and craft session celebrating the magic of nature and bees! 

Through vivid narration and interactive props, flowers, buzzing bees, and jars of “magical honey”, we will be transported into a tale of discovery, pollination, and the sweetness of the season.

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.

This workshop is 20 AED per participant.

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Plants as Time Keepers: Botanical Illustration Workshop

31 May 2025
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Spring is a season of change, and plants are one of the best ways to observe time in motion. In this hands-on botanical illustration workshop, led by Sarah Sharak, artist, researcher, and illustrator.

Participants will explore how plants act as natural timekeepers, reflecting shifts in seasons, climate, and environment. Through guided drawing exercises and close observation, you'll learn techniques to capture the details of leaves, flowers, and stems while considering how plants document the world around them.

This workshop is 120 AED per participant.

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Jamming Session: Gluten-Free Ma'moul for All

1 June 2025
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Join sisters Rawan and Layan on a Jamming Session right in time for Eid!

Soft, delicately spiced, and filled with sweet dates or nuts, ma'moul is the ultimate Eid sweet treat of the Arab world. For generations, these handcrafted cookies have been at the heart of festive gatherings across the region, their intricate patterns and rich flavors symbolizing hospitality, abundance, and togetherness.

Now, as Eid Al Adha approaches, they invite you to knead, fill, and press your own gluten-free ma'moul, just as families have done for centuries. 

This workshop is 120 AED per participant.

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Messy Play (Ages 1 to 6)

1 June 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. In this session their little hands (and feet!) can dig, stomp, splash, and explore! 

This workshop is 20 AED per participant.

Book now!

Khayal Series: Tales of the Lion (Ages 6+)

14 June 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join us for another Khayal Series this Spring!

This exciting storytelling and craft session will bring a lion’s tale to life!

The session will begin with a dramatic narration of the lion’s tale accompanied with interactive props such as masks and puppets. 

This workshop is 20 AED per participant.

Book now!

Growing Mushrooms with Below Farm

14 June 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

This spring program, join us for the perfect seasonal excursion, a hands-on journey into the fascinating world of mushroom cultivation. Guided by mushroom expert Konrad from Below Farm, the workshop  explores the intersection of organic systems, and creative experimentation, uncovering how fungi can thrive in unexpected places, even in the desert.

Come ready to learn, ask questions, and experience the magic of mushroom growing in materiality, for healing, and culinary purposes, firsthand!

Participants must be 18+

This workshop is 120 AED per participant.

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Savor the Stories: A Culinary Arts Soiree

15 June 2025
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

As we all know, food tells us stories of places, memories, traditions, and creativity. This season, join us for an evening dedicated to the culinary arts where we explore food as a vessel for history, culture, and artistic expression. 

Open to ages 18 and above.

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Pencil In

19 June 2025
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Another season of Pencil In is upon us!

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.

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Stitch In

21 June 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.

Tatreez, the centuries-old craft of Palestinian embroidery, is a testament to the richness of Palestinian identity and culture. It began with intricate cross-stitch motifs adorning the linen dresses of Palestinian women and has since expanded to embellish garments, household items, and wall pieces.

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

Add to Cart (Free)

• 1 Ticket
• 2 Tickets

Week 1: Summer Club 2025 (ages 5 to 8)

7 July 2025 - 11 July 2025

Join us for a creative adventure with Summer Club!

Designed for children ages 5 to 8, our Summer Club invites you to dive into a hands-on journey filled with artistic expression and imaginative exploration.

This summer, we’ll encourage kids to immerse themselves in nature, exploring everything from the air we breathe and the land we walk on to the vibrant colors and textures around us. Using all their senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste—children will connect with the natural world and with each other.

Week 2: Summer Club 2025 (ages 9 to 11)

14 July 2025 - 18 July 2025

Join us for a creative adventure with Summer Club!

Designed for children ages 9 to 11, our Summer Club invites you to dive into a hands-on journey filled with artistic expression and imaginative exploration.

This summer, we’ll encourage kids to immerse themselves in nature, exploring everything from the air we breathe and the land we walk on to the vibrant colors and textures around us. Using all their senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste—children will connect with the natural world and with each other.