Fall 2025 Program

Based on our ten-year anniversary exhibition, Rays, Ripples, Residue, this decadal season extends the spirit of the exhibition into programming that considers, obscures, and cyclically revisits, and at times, re-imagines, the past, present, and future of 421 as witness to the transformations, translations, and adaptations within and surrounding its walls. The seasonal general public programming invites four modalities of translating our past, present, and future.

Rays, Ripples, Residue

1 November 2025 - 26 April 2026

The exhibition marks the ten-year anniversary of 421 Arts Campus, offering a space for reflecting on emergent artistic practices in the UAE, their possibilities and challenges for the future. Featuring video, performance, installation, and multimedia works, the exhibition invites conversations around what it means to produce art in the UAE today from the vantage point of emerging artists, collectives, and grassroots initiatives, to the influential role of cultural institutions that have supported and platformed these practices.

Special Edition: Pencils Down

11 December 2025
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Since its start, Pencil In has been a no-pressure writers’ group designed to offer a supportive environment for writers to write alone, together.

Rooted in the idea of body-doubling, these communal writing sessions at 421 were a hope to create a safe, inspiring space for writers to polish their craft, exchange feedback in Arabic and English, and share personal texts with like-minded peers.

Now, to encourage writers to think more artistically and speculatively, to challenge themselves, draw from their environment, and grow, we’re introducing a special edition: Pencils Down.

Apply now!

Stitch In

14 December 2025
11:00 AM - 2:00 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

Lights, Camera, Table Read!

14 December 2025
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Step into the world of storytelling with this special table read activation, where scripts leap off the page and come alive through collective reading.

An open call will invite playwrights and screenwriters across the UAE to submit their speculative manuscripts, think speculative, future-focused, experimental, Sci-Fi, non-linear, or even absurdist works. From the submissions, one English-language script will be selected to take center stage.

Submit your short film here!

Register Interest

Winter Club: Ages 9 to 11

15 December 2025 - 19 December 2025
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Welcome to our Winter Club 2025!

Designed for children ages 9 to 11, our Winter Club will celebrate a new country each day with fun crafts and delicious foods. Get ready for a hands-on chilly journey full of creativity, exploration, and yummy treats!

We are sorry to inform you that this event has been canceled.

Palette to Pedagogy: Teachers Evening

20 January 2026
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Join us for an educators evening to explore artworks at our major fall exhibition Rays, Ripples, Residue. This event celebrates our 10th anniversary, serving as a moment of reflection for the institution and the wider arts ecosystem within the past decade.

For Registration please use this link