Listen to Episode 6 Season 3 of the podcast "A Future in the Fold of the Past," which focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in discussing the climate crisis.

In this episode, we explore contemporary artistic practices related to nature, environmental heritage, and modern transformations in the UAE.

Listen to the Episode 5 Season 3 of the podcast "A Future in the Folds of the Past", which focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in discussing the climate crisis.

In this episode, we explore the relationship with the land in the context of post-colonialism and ongoing colonialism, using the cases of Algeria and Palestine. We delve into artistic interventions in environmental architecture and documentary cinema.

Listen to Episode 4 Season 3 of our podcast “A Future in the Folds of the Past,” which focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in discussing the climate crisis.

In this episode, titled "Land as a Living Heritage", we host Rabee Zureikat, the founder of the Zikra Initiative for Popular Learning in Jordan, which aims to promote sustainability by reshaping the community's relationship with urban agricultural spaces and providing opportunities for people to participate in planting and harvesting local wheat.

We also speak with Zeinab Gaafar, an architect and researcher in urban studies, and a member of the Preserving Sudan’s Living Heritage project. She discusses the environmental challenges in Sudan that threaten the culture and community heritage, and the importance of cultural initiatives in these challenging times to enhance community resilience and protect cultural legacy.

Listen to Episode 3 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a documentary series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis. 

In this episode titled ‘The Climate Crisis: Responses through Artistic Practice’, our conversation features Adib Dada, a Lebanese architectural researcher and founder of ‘The Other Dada’ project, who focuses on developing projects that mimic nature and enhance the integrative relationship between architecture, design, art, and the environment.

We also speak with Asunción Molinos Gordo, a Spanish artist who explores alternative approaches to understanding evolution and innovation outside centralized urban contexts, focusing on contemporary farming issues as a central theme. 

Listen to Episode 2 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a documentary series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

In this episode, titled ‘A Drop of Sky’, Amanda Abi Khalil, an art curator and founder of the TAP platform, tells us about her initiatives in Lebanon and Brazil that merge contemporary art, environmental, and community work. Amanda uses contemporary art as an effective tool for change, launching several projects that address these themes. 

We also speak with Francesca Masoero, an art curator and cultural program coordinator who initiated the “Qanat” project in 2017, commissioned by Space 18 in Marrakech, Morocco. This project has evolved through multidisciplinary research and relies on collective production shared between the artistic field and community initiatives. 

Listen to Episode 1 Season 3 of our podcast, A Future in the Folds of the Past, a series that focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

This episode, titled ‘The Art Institution & The Climate Crisis’ features a discussion with Faisal Al Hassan, Director of 421 Arts Campus, and Nora Razian, curator and Exhibitions Program Manager at Art Jameel in Dubai. It delves into how art and culture institutions are developing programs and activities to experiment with and reflect on environmental issues.

There is a clear trend towards creating spaces that encourage practitioners, researchers, and artists to adopt environmental themes in their projects and artistic propositions.

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

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.

FOREST CINEMA

GHOST 2561-2565

KORAKRIT ARUNANONDCHAI & CHRISTINA LI

Forest Cinema invites viewers into a shared cinematic exploration of spirits, myths, and the traces of vanishing worlds. This two-day program weaves together films from Ghost 2561-2565, a celebrated video and performance art series based in Bangkok, and DIFF On the Road, a traveling initiative of the Dharamshala International Film Festival.

The screenings traverse historical and emergent narratives that uncover how natural and manufactured entities embody life, haunt our present, and reshape knowledge. Through these works, curated by Korakrit Arunanondchai, Christina Li, and DIFF co-founders Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, audiences encounter the silent breathing of the world—its decomposing grounds, atmospheric skies, and the spirits that linger within.

Ultimately, Forest Cinema offers a contemplative space to reflect on the stories that bind us to our environment and each other.

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.

FOREST CINEMA

TRACES OF THE VANISHING FOREST

DHARAMSHALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WITH RITU SARIN AND TENZING SONAM

Forest Cinema invites viewers into a shared cinematic exploration of spirits, myths, and the traces of vanishing worlds. This two-day program weaves together films from Ghost 2561-2565, a celebrated video and performance art series based in Bangkok, and DIFF On the Road, a traveling initiative of the Dharamshala International Film Festival.

The screenings traverse historical and emergent narratives that uncover how natural and manufactured entities embody life, haunt our present, and reshape knowledge. Through these works, curated by Korakrit Arunanondchai, Christina Li, and DIFF co-founders Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, audiences encounter the silent breathing of the world—its decomposing grounds, atmospheric skies, and the spirits that linger within.

Ultimately, Forest Cinema offers a contemplative space to reflect on the stories that bind us to our environment and each other.

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 an online information session with our Learning Initiatives Manager, Dana Al Mazroui, where she will outline the details of 421’s Exhibition Guides Program and share insights into the unique training and professional development opportunities it offers.

Date: Wednesday, November 27
Time: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (GST)
Location: Online Zoom Call

To register your interest and access the call, register here.

Join Helen Zughaib, artist and author of 'Stories My Father Told Me', for a special workshop for children and their families!

In this workshop, based on Helen’s shoe project titled 'The Places They’ll Go,' participants will paint their own little shoes to take home.

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 Jolaine Frizzell  introduces strategies on how to find and apply for the right opportunities for your career, and best practices when it comes to application writing.

Course timings: 

• Friday, November 8 : 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

• Saturday, November 9: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

• Sunday, November 10: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

The application deadline is November 1! 

Apply here

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

In this hands-on cooking class, you'll learn to make three beloved Sri Lankan dishes: ‘kiribath’ (coconut-infused milk rice), ‘biththara hodi’ (eggs in coconut milk curry), and ‘lunu miris’ (salt and chili sambol)

‘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.

Join our artist-in-residence Yousif Abdulsaid for a special workshop where you'll learn to create a contemporary-style floral arrangement perfect for dining tables, coffee tables, or as a striking centerpiece.

Known for his experimental floral installations, Yousif will get you creating a variety of arrangements using flowers, branches, and foliage.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

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 an online information session with our Learning Initiatives Manager, Dana Al Mazroui, where she will dive into the details of the open call for 421’s Graduate Internship Program and other opportunities that will run in the future.

Location: Online Zoom Call

To register your interest and access the call, register here.

Join us for an educators evening  to explore artworks in our major fall exhibition, Way of the Forest, a traveling edition of Colomboscope arts festival. An immersive exploration of humanity’s relationship with nature, the exhibition is held across Galleries 1 and 2 and serves as a study of our ecological past, present, and future.

This exhibition, which is part of our Fall 2024 program, features the works of 19 artists from the Global South and is curated by Hit Man Gurung (artist and curator), Natasha Ginwala (Artistic Director, Colomboscope), Sarker Protick (artist and curator), Sheelasha Rajbhandari (artist and curator), and Vidhi Todi (Assistant Curator, Colomboscope 2024). 

This event is only open to educators and teachers.

Deadline for registrations is Sep 30, 2024

Registration is now closed.

Join the husband-wife duo for this special Jamming Session!

In this hands-on cooking class, you'll learn to make two beloved Sri Lankan dishes: ‘maalu paan’ or fish bun and ‘pani pol pancakes/surruttaappam’ or sweet pancakes.

‘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.

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

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.

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.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

This summer also marks one year since we initiated our community-driven Performance Co/Lab series!

Way of the Forest is a traveling edition of the arts festival Colomboscope that converges artistic pathways to rekindle knowledge of interdependence, custodianship, and restorative practices across rainforests, wilderness, mountain cultivations, and riverine wetlands. Taking over Galleries 1 and 2 inside 421 Arts Campus in Abu Dhabi, it invites deschooling – moving from the curriculum of plunder, reckless supremacy and extinction, to embrace active listening beyond the human sensorium.

This exhibition is an intricate study of our eroding ecological histories, of lost environmental wisdoms, monstrous developmental agendas, and ghosts of extraction. 

Way of the Forest is the 8th edition of the Colomboscope festival held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from January 19 to 28, 2024. This iteration of the festival has been adapted to reach audiences in the UAE, and marks a second partnership between 421 Arts Campus and Colomboscope.

Join our 421 Exhibition Guides for a tour of the exhibition Way of The Forest. Our guided tours take around 45 minutes and take visitors through the exhibitions and highlight the artworks, artists, and the curators of the exhibition.

Taking place on Sunday, September 22 at 421 Arts Campus in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the opening reception will begin at 4:00 pm.

To register, click here.

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this summer where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Compositions’.

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.

Join us for an online information session with our Programs and Community Initiatives Manager, Mays Albaik, where she will dive into the details of the open calls for 421’s Artistic Research Grant and the upcoming Residency Program. This is the perfect opportunity for artists to ask questions and get more insights about these open calls.

Location: Online Zoom Call

To register your interest and access the call, register here.

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 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.

Join us for the Spring 2024 Exhibitions closing program featuring tours and workshops that give audiences a final chance to view and experience the exhibitions Mona Ayyash: The Clock Doesn’t Care and On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show

To register, click here.

As part of the closing reception for her exhibition, Mona leads a creative writing workshop that mirrors the themes  presented in this exhibition. During the session, she encourages attendees to observe, contemplate, and write as performers engage in a fictional narrative that questions fleeting thoughts and the notion of wasting time, waiting, and doing nothing. Similar to live drawing, participants engage in group discussions and collective creative writing while observing people.

Open to ages 18 and above.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

This summer also marks one year since we initiated our community-driven Performance Co/Lab series!

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 an evening of screenings that celebrate short docu-films from the region. Taking place indoors, the film program presents works by artists taking part in the Arab Film Studios program. The documentaries are directed by filmmakers exploring creative and artistic expression through personal and collective histories.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

This summer also marks one year since we initiated our community-driven Performance Co/Lab series!

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.

What does a manifesto look like? Think about the movements of the past that have inspired you to seek change. If you were to create your own manifesto, what messages and visuals would it contain?

As part of the closing reception for our Spring Exhibitions, Sara Alahbabi—whose work is featured in our current exhibition, ‘On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show’—will take you through her research on manifestos across the years.

Open to ages 18 and above.

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this summer where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Compositions’.

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.

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this summer where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Compositions’.

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.

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 a hands-on adventure and build your own creative journey.

The 421 Summer Club is designed for children ages 6 to 10. We invite budding artists of all skill sets and interests to join us on an unforgettable journey of self-expression and imaginative discovery.

Join us for a hands-on adventure and build your own creative journey.

The 421 Summer Club is designed for children ages 6 to 10. We invite budding artists of all skill sets and interests to join us on an unforgettable journey of self-expression and imaginative discovery.

Our Summer 2024 program presents the continuation of two major exhibitions and featured events that include a writers’ group, workshops, film screenings, panel discussions, a board game corner, and special events surrounding the written word.

The major exhibitions Mona Ayyash: The Clock Doesn’t Care and On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show will continue until August 25, 2024.

Our podcast ‘A Future in the Folds of the Past’ is back! Season three focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis.

‘A Future in the Folds of the Past’ is the only Arabic-language podcast dedicated to contemporary visual arts in a documentary format. The series highlights the specific impacts of climate change on local communities, particularly vulnerable groups, and emphasizes on how art can serve as a powerful tool for storytelling and fostering dialogue around climate change.

Join us for an immersive movement workshop inspired by folkloric dance traditions. The workshop will explore Circassian dance traditions, a cultural practice that has been practiced historically to build communal resilience in the face of struggle. 

Open to ages 18 and above.

We’re inviting writers and readers from the community to join us on a bi-monthly basis to read and connect over a selection of short stories and excerpts.

This month’s sessions are facilitated by writer and researcher, Farah Fawzi Ali, who has selected a list of short stories from the region that explore current themes and their implications in today's world.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

We’re inviting writers and readers from the community to join us on a bi-monthly basis to read and connect over a selection of short stories and excerpts.

This month’s sessions are facilitated by writer and researcher, Farah Fawzi Ali, who has selected a list of short stories from the region that explore current themes and their implications in today's world.

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this spring where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Reverberations’.

Join duo Salmaan and Fazmina this Jamming Session for a Sri Lankan Sunday lunch!

‘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 all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

Join mother-daughter duo Elita and Anita for this Jamming Session! They will be teaching us how to make a beloved Chechen dish steeped in tradition called Galnish.

‘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.

On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show 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). 

This collaboration between 421 and NYUAD supports the production of emergent contemporary practices from the region through facilitating explorations by MFA graduates. The yearly exhibition offers graduate students a platform to showcase their artistic research and growth developed throughout their academic program, emphasizing the significance of sharing their work with the broader community.

In her first solo exhibition, The Clock Doesn’t Care, Mona Ayyash presents a collaborative video piece with a group of actors, dancers, and performance artists, focusing on small body movements. The work is a study of repetitive non-functional movements, without purpose or productivity. It questions the tension between passing time and wasting time.

Ayyash is participating in the 2024 cycle of the 421 Artistic Development Program. 

Taking place on Thursday, May 16 at 421 Arts Campus in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the opening reception will begin at 5:00 pm.

Registration is required, kindly RSVP here.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this spring where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Reverberations’.

Join us in a workshop led by artist Engy Mohsen, a participant in  the group exhibition, Network Culture. The artist will take us through the work featured in the exhibition, which is titled ‘How to love many in many ways’. The interactive installation is based on an open-edition collection of games, exercises, and playful texts that depart from expanded notions of “love”.

Open to ages 18 years and above. 

Join us for the Winter 2024 Exhibitions closing program featuring tours and workshops that give audiences a final chance to view and experience the exhibitions Hana El-Sagini: Counting Fingers and Network Culture.

Register here.

Discover the profound history of ceramics as a means of healing and self-expression in contemporary art, while also learning about artist Hana El-Sagini’s practice and her exhibition ‘Counting Fingers’, a major new body of work featuring over 200 ceramic pieces.

Open to ages 18 years and above. 

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

Join us for an all-new Khayal Series with Early Starters this spring where we explore more about the themes of our season’s program, ‘Reverberations’.

Through two exhibitions and a series of workshops and special events that revolve around collective activations, movement, healing and dialogue, this spring program invites the community to join 421 as we learn to find ways to cope with and understand the world in times of constant change.

The season will also see the opening of Mona Ayyash: The Clock Doesn’t Care, part of the Artistic Development Program, and On a Timeline: 2024 MFA Graduate Show, presenting the work of this year’s graduating cohort in the department for Art and Media from New York University Abu Dhabi.

Join us for another Khayal Series: Ramadan Storytime session, where we learn more about the essence of giving and community.

Dedicated to designers working across various disciplines, this suhoor is perfect to share experiences and learn from each other and connect over food, music and art. 

A gathering for wordsmiths, to exchange writings, create zines, and connect over food.

Discover a world of creativity and artistic exploration this Spring Club!

The Spring Club is designed for children ages 6 to 10 and 11 to 14. From March 25 -29, we invite budding artists of all skill sets and interests to join us on an unforgettable journey of self-expression and imaginative discovery.

Discover a world of creativity and artistic exploration this Spring!

The Spring Club is designed for children ages 6 to 10 and 11 to 14. From March 25 -29, we invite budding artists of all skill sets and interests to join us on an unforgettable journey of self-expression and imaginative discovery.

Join us for another Khayal Series: Ramadan Storytime session, where we learn more about the essence of giving and community.

A late-night gathering with fellow film enthusiasts in the community for a suhoor filled with your favorite cinema moments! Enjoy a Jeopardy-style trivia night hosted by Aly G, where you can flex your fingers to buzz in first and share all your movie knowledge.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

Our Khayal Series is back with a Ramadan Storytime edition, where we learn more about the spiritual values of giving and community.

The 421 Culture Bus is back and we are ready to take you on a guided journey through Art Dubai!

Jamming Sessions: Homecooking Series is a series of workshops led by UAE’s home chefs! Join us as family duos teach participants their traditional recipes as handed down through their relatives. Each session will be accompanied by a playlist that sets the scene of a home kitchen.

The 421 Culture Bus is back and we are  ready to take you to the Sikka Art and Design Festival!

Join us at 421 for an educators evening  to explore artworks in our two major exhibitions, Network Culture a group exhibition that presents works from our Homebound Residency Program, and Hana El-Sagini: Counting Fingers, the first solo exhibition for the artist in the UAE.

This event is only open to educators and teachers.

Register now on this link.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

Block Barty, a new 421 event, is held with our wider Mina Zayed neighborhood in mind and spirit. Inspired by a rich history of urban block parties that birthed iconic subcultures and strengthened local community ties, this event invites everyone—in the art sphere and beyond—to gather, grow, and build lasting bonds. 

More information coming soon.

Join us for a weekend showcasing regional films that explore the climate crisis. This expansive program includes film screenings, talks, workshops, activations, and family-friendly screenings too.

To register for tickets, click here.

Jamming Sessions: Homecooking Series is a series of workshops led by UAE’s home chefs! Join us as family duos teach participants their traditional recipes as handed down through their relatives. Each session will be accompanied by a playlist that sets the scene of a home kitchen.

Taking place on Sunday, February 11 at 421 in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the opening reception will begin at 5:00 pm.

Registration is required, kindly RSVP here.

This exhibition presents projects by participants in the Homebound Residency Program. Celebrating the work and explorations that took place over the course of the past three years, Network Culture includes projects by 13 participating artists and creative practitioners whose practices have evolved and extended beyond the parameters of the program.

The 2021/2022 cohort of the residency was supported by curator Reem Shadid. The 2022/2023 cohort was supported by curator Sara Bin Safwan.

In this major solo exhibition, Hana El-Sagini presents a newly commissioned large-scale installation rooted in the instability and fragility of the human experience.

El-Sagini is a participant in the 2024 cycle of the 421 Artistic Development Program, organized in partnership with The Institute for Emerging Art.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

‘Jamming Sessions’ is a workshop series led by UAE’s home chefs. Each session features a 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.

Join performance artist Shereen Saif on a public walk that explores Mina Zayed’s biodiverse ecosystem.

Discover zine-making in this workshop led by Sarah Ahmed that is based on the research and writings of Salem Al Suwaidi.

Bring your old magazines, photographs, journal entries, and stickers as you immerse yourself in this hands-on experience.

Our Culture Bus trips are back!

We are ready to take you to the 2024 edition of the Qouz Arts Fest.

Performance Co/Lab is an open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Through a sustained program, participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques.

Artist Asma Belhammar will be in conversation with Sultan Al Hammadi (Architect for Heritage Projects, Initiatives Implementation Authority, Sharjah Government). 

Moderated by Mays Albaik (Community Initiatives Manager at 421), this Arabic-language session delves into Belhammar’s practice and the making of her most recent bodies of work featured in the major solo exhibition ‘Solid Void’. 

This session marks the closing of the Fall 2023 exhibition which opened on October 22. 

The program aims to harness a sense of friendship and unifying bonds through the power of presence and personal encounters. With a range of workshops,  jamming sessions, a film festival, community block (b)arties and more, 'Entanglements' is a response to an ongoing digital fatigue.

Running in tandem with the program is 'Network Culture', a group exhibition resulting from the Homebound Residency Program, which ran annually from spring 2020 to fall 2023, and 'Hana El-Sagini: Counting Fingers', a solo exhibition for the artists who is participating in the Artistic Development Program 2024.