What parts of our homes, bedrooms, kitchens, and hallways  do we feel most connected to? What stories do the corners of our past, present, and future homes hold for us?

Khaled Esguerra and Maitha Ali invite participants to take part in Floor-planning: Memories of Past, Present, and Future, a two-part workshop series that reflects on how we reclaim and reimagine urban and domestic narratives.

Open to ages 11 and above.

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.

This club is AED 400 per participant

Book now

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.

No prior experience is required, just a love for the written word!

This program invites fellow artists and community members to explore the studio practices and processes of our artists-in-residence, Moza Almazrouei, Khaled Esguerra, and Tamara Barrage. Whether through writing, sculpting, research fragments, performance, or material play, the afternoon centers around their routines, movements, experiments, and the subtle shifts that shape how and why they create. 

Apply to one or all of these sessions here.

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!

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.

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.

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.

If you're interested, please email us at: hello@421.online

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!

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!

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.

Book now!

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.

Book now!

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.

Book now!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Book now!

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.

Taking place on Sunday, May 18 at 421 Arts Campus in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the opening reception will begin at 4:30 pm.

To register, click here.

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

We are sorry to inform you that our upcoming workshop ‘Photowalk: The many lives of Mina Zayed’, scheduled for May 10, has been cancelled due to extreme heat warnings from the National Center of Meteorology.

The health and safety of our participants is our top priority. All registered participants will be refunded. We apologize for this

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.

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.

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

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.

Book now!

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.

Book now!

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.

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

Join the cousins, Karim and Haider for this upcoming Jamming Session!

Discover the secrets behind one of Syria’s (and our) most beloved street foods: the humble shawarma! In this hands-on cooking class, you’ll learn how to prepare traditional Syrian chicken shawarma from scratch—including marinating techniques, grilling methods, and assembling the perfect wrap. Karima and Haider will also share a meat alternative to the shawarma, with mushrooms and cheese! Along the way, explore the rich history and cultural significance of food and the ingredients in Syrian cuisine and daily life. 

Stay tuned to book this event. Registration will open soon. 

Shape, twist, and transform!

Dive into the world of sculpting with metal as you explore techniques to bend, twist, and mold wire into custom designs.

For ages 11+

This workshop is 60 AED per participant.

Book now!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Block Barty is for the “art” people, the non-art art people, the people you kinda know from the internet but not really because approaching them might be awkward (but you do it anyway). And the people who bring their confused—but supportive—parents to the party.

Free entry. Book your tickets now to be a bart of the barty!

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

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!

Join us as we breathe new life into found objects at the Mina!

This two-phase workshop first explores the urban spaces of Mina Zayed through guided walks that talk about preserving the area around us while collecting found objects. It then takes you back to the drawing board to create mixed media artworks.

Open to ages 14 and above.

They say “silence is golden” – come find out just how valuable it can be on a silent walk in an Abu Dhabi neighborhood and experience the city in an alternative way!

In this guided silent walk, we invite you to leave behind the distractions of conversation, phones, and external noise. Move quietly and mindfully with a group as you immerse yourself in the unique sights, sounds, and rhythms of Abu Dhabi cityscape. Without the pull of daily interruptions, this is an opportunity to slow down, observe, and connect deeply with your surroundings.

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.

Join us for an urban sketching with pastels workshop and bring Abu Dhabi's vibrant cityscapes to life! For preteens and teens.

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.

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.

Taking place on Thursday, January 30 at 421 Arts Campus in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the opening reception will begin at 5:30 pm.

To register, click here.

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.

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. 

They say “silence is golden” – come find out just how valuable it can be on a silent walk in an Abu Dhabi neighborhood and experience the city in an alternative way!

In this guided silent walk, we invite you to leave behind the distractions of conversation, phones, and external noise. Move quietly and mindfully with a group as you immerse yourself in the unique sights, sounds, and rhythms of Electra Street. Without the pull of daily interruptions, this is an opportunity to slow down, observe, and connect deeply with your surroundings.

Join the son-mother duo John and Razel for this special Jamming Session!

In this hands-on cooking class, you'll learn to make three beloved Filipino dishes: chicken adobo, lumpia, and cassava cake.

‘Jamming Sessions: Homecooking 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.

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

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!

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.

They say “silence is golden” – come find out just how valuable it can be on a silent walk in an Abu Dhabi neighborhood and experience the city in an alternative way!

In this guided silent walk, we invite you to leave behind the distractions of conversation, phones, and external noise. Move quietly and mindfully with a group as you immerse yourself in the unique sights, sounds, and rhythms of Mina and its neighborhood of Warehouses. Without the pull of daily interruptions, this is an opportunity to slow down, observe, and connect deeply with your surroundings.

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.