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. 

The evening will include drop in sessions, some of which include:

Coffee Dates with Hessa Al Nuaimi – Experience a three-course tasting of coffee and dates with Hessa Al Nuaimi, a researcher and culinary enthusiast passionate about storytelling through regional food traditions. Each pairing invites reflection on the deep-rooted history and evolving practices of coffee culture in the region.

Painting with Food, Eating with Color – Led by Tilika D’souza from Studio Passepartout, this session transforms natural ingredients into both artistic mediums and edible creations. Explore the connections between color, taste, and texture, blending food, sustainability, and visual storytelling in a hands-on, sensory-rich experience.

Join us for an evening of mixing, tasting, making, and discovering, where every bite and sip carries a story waiting to be savored and learned.

Participants must be 18+

About the Curator:

Dania Al Tamimi is an artist and curator with a BFA from the University of Sharjah, currently pursuing an MA in Food & Art. Through Al Tamimi's artistic practice she has taken part in several exhibitions and programs in the UAE and worldwide, including Sotheby’s (Dubai, 2021), Bait Al Mamzar (Dubai, 2021), Systema Gallery (Osaka, 2019), Maraya Art Centre (Sharjah, 2019), and Art Market Budapest (Budapest, 2018). She curated Biography of a Passage with 421 at Art Dubai (Dubai, 2023), co-founded Rummān Collective, and is currently a Curator and Project Manager at Dirwaza Curatorial Lab. During her time at Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, Al Tamimi has coordinated several projects including Leadership Pavilion Project (Expo2020, Dubai, 2020), Between the Sky and the Earth (Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., 2021), Zemanna (Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, 2022) and co-curated Hair Mapping Body; Body Mapping Land (ICD Brookfield, Dubai, 2021), In Process | In Progress (421, Abu Dhabi, 2022), While the Coffee Grounds Settle: Stories from Women in the UAE (Fathom Gallery, Washington D.C., 2022), Evaporating Suns: Contemporary Myths from the Gulf (KBH.G Basel, Switzerland, 2023), Evident Presence (NMSS at Abu Dhabi Art, 2023), and A Return to the Ground (UAE Embassy in Tokyo, 2023).

About the Instructors

Hessa Al Nuaimi:

Hessa Al Nuaimi graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi with a BA in Art and Art History and is a researcher and curator. Al Nuaimi focused her thesis on the history of The Cultural Foundation from 1981-2008, highlighting this space as a pioneer of culture. This research further anchored Al Nuaimi’s curatorial practice which highlights the importance of local voices in community lead spaces, accessibility, and education. Al Nuaimi currently works at Dirwaza Curatorial Lab as a Curator and Educational Outreach Manager. She started working with student exhibitions in The Cube and The Project Space at NYU Abu Dhabi and was previously at the Louvre Abu Dhabi with the Temporary Exhibitions department. Recent exhibitions Al Nuaimi has collaboratively curated with the Dirwaza Curatorial Lab include A Return to the Ground (Tokyo, Japan, 2023), Evaporating Suns (Basel, Switzerland, 2023), While the Coffee Grounds Settle: Stories from Women in the UAE (Fathom Gallery, Washington D.C, 2022) and Zemanna (Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, 2022).

Jehan Ali:

Jehan Ali is an international award-winning mixed media artist & interior designer, residing in Dubai. She is the author of Delve An Artful Book, 2019. For her, Art is life; it is the most beautiful universal language that silently speaks aloud. A little bit creative in her home, art stirs: food and food for thought. There, Jehan cooks, bakes, draws, paints, reads, writes, embroiders, takes photos, prints, creates collages & sculpts ceramics. She has exhibited internationally in New York with;Broadway, Amsterdam Whitney Fine Art Inc. At Tokyos’ & Madrids’ Contemporary Art Station. In Korea with 7th Geoje International Art Festival. In Switzerland with PAKS Gallery, ART BASEL 2022. Also, home locally in: Dubai, at Tashkeel, at House of Talents, The Walk. With Noon Art Gallery & Solo at World Art Dubai, Ahemedia’s Gallery, Fully Booked Dubai Art Book Fair, Alserkal Avenue and Kave, and Dubai Design District. At Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival and Museum & Abu Dhabi’s Rich List. Winner of Power of Creativity, Voices of Tomorrow & Faces of Peace Art Prizes. Contemporary Art Curator Magazine 2021/22.

Tilika D'Souza (Studio Passepartout): 

Passepartout passe-par·​tout | (Pass-Pah-Too) Word origin from French, literally: goes everywhere

Studio Passepartout is the dream child of artist Tilika D’souza who draws inspiration from one of her favorite childhood characters, Jean Passepartout, the French companion of the protagonist in Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days, published in 1873.

 They focus on techniques and materials that have been learned and procured from all around the world, brought back home and turned into unique lovable pieces.

At Studio Passepartout, they believe everyone is an artist, and with that in mind, they've carefully handcrafted their supplies to inspire and encourage you to fall in love with the process of creativity.

​Just like Jean Passepartout, they hope their supplies can be the perfect companion to your artsy adventures!