Film screenings, workshops and pottery classes are all on the docket for July…

With a brand new month comes brand new events to check out and, arts and culture fans, we’ve rounded up plenty to keep you busy this July.

Here are six cool cultural events to check out this month.

Workshop: Acrylics 101

Learn the secret of working with acrylic paints as well as palette knife tool techniques. Led by US artist Dane Patterson (known for using photo-realistic details to draw staged disarray in his drawings), participants will work on 30x30cm canvases and, whether you take one or several sessions, you will learn about drawing and composition, tones and values, colour mixtures and blending, textures, highlights and shadows.

The Jam Jar, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, July 14, 21 and 28, 11am to 1pm, Dhs150 per session. Tel: (04) 341 7303. jamjardubai.com

Exhibition: You + Topia

Whether it’s Syrian artist Tammam Azzam’s image of a bombed out building being carried into the sky by a bundle of balloons, or Lebanese talent Nadim Karam’s sculpture of a woman dreaming, each artwork in the exhibition represents a notion of utopia. The word literally translates as ‘no place’, existing only as an unreachable state of perfection. Yet ;no place’ is exactly how this generation feels about the idea of belonging. This exhibition touches on cultural, social, and geo-political problems of contemporary Middle-Eastern artists.

Ayyam Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, until Sept 20, Sat to Thurs 10am to 6pm. Tel: (04) 323 6242. ayyamgallery.com

Exhibition: Vantage Point Sharjah 6

Every year, the Sharjah Arts Foundation opens its doors to the general public for an exhibition that features photographs submitted under a specific theme. The sixth edition, which is open to anyone living in the GCC, is about performance. The can be interpreted in a literal way by capturing movement, gesture or action or in a more abstract and poetic format.

Sharjah Art Foundation Art Spaces, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah, July 14 to Sept 8, Sat to Thrus 9am to 9pm, Fri 4pm to 9am. Tel: (06) 568 5050. sharjahart.org

Class: Beginners On The Wheel

Yadewi Potteru Studio hosts regular classes for all levels of ability. You can sign up for a beginners class where you be introduced to the art of throwing clay on the wheel.

Yadawei Pottery School, Warehouse 30, Al Quoz 1, Mon 7pm to 9pm. Tel: (04) 379 1312. yadawei.net

Screening: Supergirl

As part of a tie-up with local movie screening platform Cinema Akil and the US Embassy in the UAE, Fierce is a series of films celebrating the strength and power of women. Supergirl is the story of Naomi Kutin, a nine-year-old Jewish girl who breaks a powerlifting world record but has to battle her own strict religious obligations and cyber-bullying.

A4 Space, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, July 28, 7pm to 9pm, free. Tel: (050) 5569797. cinemaakil.com

Event: Art Souq

This annual event at one of Abu Dhabi’s only commercial galleries is a must see if you’re interested in UAE-based artistic talent, plus buying affordable art. Featuring the work of 25 artists, the Souq is a summary of all the exhibitions that have taken place throughout the year and offers a range of works in different media priced between Dhs300 and Dhs10,000.

Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Villa 15, l Huwelat St, Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, until July 31, Sat to Thurs, 10am to 10pm. Tel: (02) 621 0145. etihadmodernart.com

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