There’s so much art in this city…

With a brand new month (and year) comes brand new events to check out, and culture vultures, there’s plenty to go scope out in the city to keep you busy this January.

Here are 6 awesome art spaces and art exhibitions in Dubai to check out this January 

Alliance Française Dubai

Alliance Française Dubai

Curated by La Galerie Nationale, this solo art show titled ‘Fab Road Trip’ by Fabrice Vallez takes us to the natural and vegetal world. The artist has a day job at a Dubai floral atelier, designing gorgeous flower and plants display. The vertical approach he creates in his ‘Walks in the woods’ creations is reflective of this. The artist also creates a hypnotic sense of depth for viewers due to the excessive use of materials on the canvas. Reservations needed on opening night.

Alliance Française Dubai, street 18, Oud Metha, Dubai, Jan 11 (7pm onwards) to Feb 15, Tel: (0)4  335 8712. afdubai.org

Foundry

AKka project at Foundry

Foundry is a new art space that opened in Downtown Dubai in December last year. The progressive art, cultural and co-working space will soon host a comprehensive programme of workshops, entertainment and talks in addition to cool art exhibitions. At the moment, the art space is hosting renowned artists such as Jeffar Khaldi, Navid Azimi Sajadi, Goncalo Mabunda by AKKA Project, Rawda Al Ketbi, Ayesha Hadhir and Sheikha Al Ketbi that features a private photography collection of Khalid Shafar. You can read more about this new cultural hub here.

Foundry, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, open daily, 10am to 10pm, free @foundrydowntown

Ishara Art Foundation

ishara art gallery

‘Growing like a Tree’ exhibition features works by 14 artists, photographers and collectives from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Germany, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Singapore. It presents a glimpse into the collective journeys of the artists through their artistic and political affinities.

Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, Jan 20 to May 20, Tel: (0)4 223 3001. @isharaartfoundation 

Jameel Art Centre

Hiwa K Jameel Arts Centre

Above: Courtesy of Jameel Arts Centre. Photo by Daniella Baptista

In this solo exhibition, ‘Do You Remember What You Are Burning?’, Iraqi-Kurdish artist, Hiwa K, uses personal experiences blended with humour to speak of displacement, belonging and resilience – creating a highly personal portrait of the artist’s life experiences. Many of the works relate to the artist’s home city of Sulaymaniyah, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and his experiences of fleeing in refuge and returning many years later. The exhibition spans 10 years of the artist’s practice. Don’t miss the outdoor installation titled ‘One Room Apartment’.

Jameel Art Centre, Jaddaf Waterfront, opposite Palazzo Versace, Dubai, exhibition runs until July 24, free. Tel: (0)4 873 9800. @jameelartscentre

Tabari Artspace

Tabari Artspace

Iranian artist, Peyman Shaafi exhibition, ‘Presence of The Future’, spans pen and ink sketches and 3-dimensional canvases to investigate the relationships shared between geometry, astrology and materiality. Using patterns and structures of strict mathematical precision, the artist proposes a sense of order and positivity away from chaotic reality.

Tabari Artspace, Gate Village, Building 3, DIFC, Dubai, Jan 12 to Feb 18. Tel: (04) 323 0820. tabariartspace.com

Tashkeel Studio

tashkeel

At the heart of this solo exhibition by Mays Albaik lies one question, ‘How do we think through the multiplicity of our relationship to places, despite the singularity of our bodies?’. The exhibition titled  ‘A Terranean Love Note’ explores moments of contact between the self and placehood – constructed sites of physical residence, digital spaces or ancestral homelands.

Tashkeel, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, from 12 Jan to 28 Feb, Sat to Thur 10am to 10pm. Tel: (0)4 336 3313. @tashkeelstudio 

Images: Supplied/What’s On