Since opening to the public in 1981, the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi has acquired an impressive reputation as one of the top venues for culture and arts in the United Arab Emirates and the world.
Year in and year out, the Cultural Foundation houses exhibits featuring local and international art and the country’s cultural heritage that continue to impress both local and international visitors.
According to the Abu Dhabi latest news, you can see three new fascinating art exhibitions at the Cultural Foundation this fall.
These exhibitions aim to introduce audiences to a well-curated collection of art pieces created by international and local artists.
Must-See Art Exhibitions in Abu Dhabi This Fall
Below are the three art exhibitions worth seeing at the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi starting this October:
1. Fahrelnissa and the Institutes: Towards a Sky
Fahrelnissa and the Institutes: Towards a Sky is the Cultural Foundation’s flagship exhibition this fall.
This exhibition showcases Jordan’s pioneer female artists in modern and contemporary art.
These renowned artists include Fahrelnissa Zeid, Hind Nasser, Ufemia Rizk and Wijdan.
This exhibition aims to open the audience’s minds to the overlooked chapter of Jordan’s art history.
The celebrated female artists played a significant role in creating a progressive and modern legacy of artistic practices in Jordan. Additionally, they helped establish the educational and thought frameworks that shaped the country’s world-class art scene.
For instance, Fahrelnissa Zeid established The Royal National Jordanian Institute Fahrelnissa Zeid of Fine Arts in Amman. Since its establishment, the institute is continuously challenging and pushed female artists to go beyond their artistic limits.
The exhibition has a dedicated section for each artist. There is also an archival room highlighting the fascinating history and contributions of these incredible female artists.
All the artists’ works showcase various tangible and intangible elements of life and culture. Many of their large-scale paintings highlight the link and importance of mentorship, education and community between artists and women as well.
The Fahrelnissa and the Institutes: Towards a Sky, the exhibition is curated by the Cultural Foundation Director Reem Fadda with assistance from curators Noor Almehairbi and Zuhoor Alsayegh.
2. Lullabies: A Journey Through Song
This fascinating exhibition will take you on a nostalgic and educational musical journey to various countries.
Curated by Reem Al Hashmi, Lullabies: A Journey Through Song features a collection of lullabies or bedtime songs from different parts of the world, including the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
The exhibition utilises videos, interactive games and exploration tools to give you a background, context and use of the songs. As a result, you’ll be able to understand and appreciate them more, particularly their role as the first mode of communication between a parent and child.
Additionally, the exhibition aims to give people insights into the shared values featured in the lullabies across generations and cultures.
3. Life is a Circus
Life is a Circus is a group exhibition showcasing the Cultural Foundation’s first digital art exhibition.
This first digital art exhibition was hosted in 1996 and featured the work of famous Emirati artist Jalal Luqman.
This exhibition features the return of Luqman to the Cultural Foundation and 22 other UAE-based digital artists, all commissioned to produce art pieces specifically for the show.
These artists include the following:
- Sarwa Abdul
- Aisha Al Hashmi
- Saggaf Al Hashmi
- Rafeea Alkhyeli
- Reem Al Mazroei
- Rashid Al Mulla
- Hamdan Al Shamsi
- Rafiaa Hussain
- Zainab Mohamed
- Liza Ramos
Life is a Circus takes the audience on a journey of digital art’s evolution throughout the years through a theme exploring the ironies of contemporary society.
Additionally, this is the Cultural Foundation’s first non-fungible token or NFT art exhibition, allowing visitors to purchase the artwork online.
Life is a Circus is curated by Sumayyah Al Suwaidi with help from assistant curator Aysha Al Aseeri.
The Cultural Foundation also plans to host film screenings, talks and other events about the three exhibitions.
About the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi
The Cultural Foundation is the dream project of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan.
The founding father of the UAE had the vision to create an environment promoting the cultivation of the Emiratis’ mind regarding the local culture, heritage and art.
This paved the way for the establishment of a cultural body with the primary aim of nurturing the country’s heritage and arts.
In 1973, the government initiated an international competition to find an architectural design to match Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan’s vision for a haven and national landmark from which art and cultural initiatives could flourish.
The Architects’ Collaborative (TAC) submitted the winning design, proposing a three-winged building surrounding a central courtyard.
Hisham Al Ashkouri, a talented Iraqi architect, perfected the original design and was chosen to lead the project.
The Cultural Foundation formally opened in 1981. It housed a performance auditorium, an exhibition centre and the first National Library.
Since its formal establishment, the Cultural Foundation has been hosting pioneering programmes celebrating local and regional culture and exhibitions of various art forms. It is also continuing at the forefront of cross-cultural exchanges.
The building itself has acquired the distinction of being one of the country’s modern heritage landmarks and is registered as a cultural heritage resource in Abu Dhabi.
Today, the Cultural Foundation remains true to the aspirations of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, fulfilling his visions of sharing the timeless, immeasurable endowment of Emirati cultural heritage and art with everyone.
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