Exhibitions, performances, and coffee tasting classes…

With a brand new month comes brand new events to check out, and culture vultures, we’ve rounded up plenty to keep you busy this September. Here are 5 cool cultural events to check out in the UAE this month.

1. I can bite the hand that feeds me, and gently caress it too

This oddly titled show features a collection of artists who are interested in reworking the classical portrait as well as elements of the absurd. Artists hailing from Canada and Iran, to Kuwait and Mexico exhibit new paintings, which explore figuration in art and although honouring their influences also inject cynicism – thus biting the hand, but caressing it, too.

Carbon 12, Warehouse 37, Alserkal Avenue, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, from September 17, Sat to Thurs 11.30am to 7pm. Tel: (04) 3406016. carbon12dubai.com

2. Sense and Reality in the Virtual Age

Professors Alex Albani and Hendrik Wahl from the American University in Dubai will address the growing role of technology in altering our perceptions of the physical world.

Warehouse 25, Alserkal Avenue, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, September 10, 7pm to 9pm, free. Tel: (050) 5569797. alserkalavenue.com 

3. Music in the Studio: Joseph Tawadros

The first in a series of four world-class performances curated by internationally renowned pianist Amira Fouad, Music in the Studio begins with Australian-Egyptian composer and award-winning oud player Joseph Tawadros, who also played on the soundtrack to the 2018 film Ali’s Wedding. The performance will fuse Middle Eastern, jazz and classical music.

Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, September 26, 8pm, Dhs150. Tel: (04) 4408888. dubaiopera.com

4. Frank Bowling: Mappa Mundi

Guyana-born British artist Frank Bowling is a leading international star most famous for his Map paintings. They are large colour blocks that have the outlines of continents painted on them and address issues of colonisation. Many of these paintings are gathered for this exhibition (called Map of the World) which occurs just months before Bowling’s solo retrospective at the Tate in London next year.

Gallery 4 & 5, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, from September 29, Sat to Thurs 9am to 9pm, Fri 4pm to 9pm. Tel: (06) 5685050. sharjahart.org

5. Nightjar coffee tasting

The scent of a coffee brewing is stimulating not just to the nose – it’s entrenched into the fabric of global culture. In this workshop, you’ll learn about the production of coffee from cultivation to roasting as well as the bean’s history and its place in modern society.

Nightjar Coffee Roasters, Alserkal Avenue, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, September 15, 4pm to 6pm, free (RSVP essential). Tel: (04) 3306635. nightjar.coffee 

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Images: Supplied

Words: Anna Seaman.
Anna is an arts and culture specialist in the UAE, and a regular contributor to What’s On. Find out more at annaseaman.com