10 art exhibitions you need to check out this December

So many galleries to visit…

Dubai is one of those cities where there’s a never-ending supply of things to do. For a bit of culture to shake up your month, soak in the creativity at these art exhibitions in Dubai. Make time out of your hectic festive schedule to pop down to one of these gorgeous galleries for some me time, or a catch-up with a bestie.

Here are 10 art exhibitions in Dubai to check out in December…

7 Art Gallery

When: Until December 18, 2023

If you’re a lover of fashion, art and luxury then this exhibition is for you. Jumeirah Zabeel Saray has become home to the 7 Art Galleries most recent exhibition, ‘Largerfeld, the Chanel Shows’ by Simon Procter. Large-scale photographs are displayed bringing Largerfield’s perfectly curated shows to life. Some of the images combine multiple photographs, resulting in a one-of-a-kind depiction of the designer’s life, work, and legacy. Procter displays glimpses of Largerfeld’s time in New York as well as his famous Fall-Winter 2017/18 runway show that featured the Chanel Rocket. Many famous faces can be recognised in the pieces, including Kaia Gerber, Lily-Rose Depp and Cara Delvigne.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, The Palm Jumeirah Dubai, Until Dec 18. Tel: (0)4 453 0000, jumeirah.com

Carbon.12

When: Until Thursday, January 5, 2023

Anahita Razmi is exhibiting her solo exhibition, THE RIFF at Alserkal Avenue. Exploring symbols of (post-) nationalism, fading empires and past cosmopolitanisms, Razmi hopes to draw focus to the idea of us living together as people rather than citizens of nation-states. Using photography with black-and-white aesthetics, there is a strong tone and voice throughout the exhibition, daring the viewer to confront political issues.

Carbon 12, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, Mon to Sat 11.30pm to 7pm, Sun closed, Tel: (0)4 340 6016, carbon12.art

Jameel Arts Centre

When: Until April 2, 2023

Jameel Arts Centre is hosting an extended exhibition about the human relationship with water. An Ocean in Every Drop depicts the importance of water in all of our lives, influencing history, culture, language, and social relations. Our understanding of water has consistently evolved, and we now see water in a crisis, being both scarce due to drought and potentially over-abundant due to floods and sea levels. With a curation of international works, guests are invited to explore the topic of water and how it forms from our past to our present.

Jameel Arts Centre, Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai, Fri 12pm to 8pm, Sat to Thursday 10am to 8pm, closed on Tues, Tel: (0)4 873 9800. jameelartscentre.org

Leila Heller Gallery

When: Until Friday, Jan 13, 2023

Leila Heller Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Sat to Thur 10am to 7pm, closed on Fri, Tel: (0)4 321 6942, leilahellergallery.com

Sotherby’s

When: Wednesday, November 30 to Friday, December 16

This art exhibition in Dubai is a collaboration between two great artists, Robbie Williams and Ed Godrich, who have been making art together for five years, bringing forward 14 canvases that have been created through “friendship, communication, respect and trust.” Their shared love for abstraction and outsider art inspired them to create art as a duo. Together they have curated pieces which are deeply rooted in nostalgia for the 90’s rave and music scene; embodying euphoria and a love for life.

Sotheby’s, Level B2, Gate Village Building, DIFC, Dubai, Mon to Thur 10pm to 6pm, Fri 10am to 2pm, Sat and Sun 11am to 3pm, closed on national day weekend, sothebys.com

Tabari Artspace

When: Until Thursday, January 5, 2023

‘When my heart danced near your mirage’ is a solo exhibition by Kuwaiti painter Alymamah Rashed, with selected works in watercolour on paper and oil on linen and cotton canvas. Challenging the idea that the desert is synonymous with emptiness and desolation, Rashed portrays the wilderness to be full of life; fuelled with romanticism. The pieces included in the exhibition represent the notion of mirage and fantasy to those who make journeys through the desert, encapsulating human feelings of yearning, love and conflict.

Tabari Artspace Gallery, Gate 3, Bld 3, DIFC, Mon to Fri 10am to 7pm, Sat & Sun closed, Tel: (0)4 323 0820, tabariartspace.com

The Third Line

When: Until Friday, December 16

Sarah Awad’s first solo exhibition, ‘Rainbow Clearance and Other Paintings’ explores notions of space, colour and the act of looking. This exhibition is dense with colour, layering, dynamism and abstract form. Awad focuses on isolation in the sense of remoteness or seclusion; that we can look outward and inward. The artist portrays no narrative in her work but depicts figurations that hold gesture, body and colour.

The Third Line, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, Mon to Sat 11am to 7pm, Sun closed, Tel: (0)4 341 1367, thethirdline.com

Lawrie Shabibi

When: Until Friday, January 5, 2023

Shaikha Al Mazrou’s Dwelling in the Gap comes hot off the heels of her participation at Frieze Sculpture 2022 in London. Al Mazrou pushes her materials past their limits and their fixed properties. This exhibition focuses on the communion between the artist and material, the artwork and the viewer – a ‘gap’ that is central to the creative process. There are seven steel sculptures to check out.

Lawrie Shabibi, Sat 10am to 6pm, Sun closed, Tel: (0)4 346 9906, lawrieshabibi.com

Volery Gallery

When: Thursday, December 8 until January 2023

Volery Gallery is presenting a Swedish-Dominican artist Tania Marmolejo, who is showcasing her solo exhibition Master and Commander. Marmolejo’s work primarily focuses on painting the experiences of womanhood through portraits of women. Her fourteen paintings are dedicated to the bravery of Iranian women, fighting for their freedom and breaking through old constraints which have trapped them into a cultural time and place.

Volery Gallery Dubai, DIFC, volerygallery.com

XVA Gallery

When: Until Sunday, December 18

Solo exhibition ‘Babel’ by Richard Ketley, is inspired by the legend of the Tower of Babel. A similar tale was told across various cultures and religions, that believed in a world where all people spoke the same language – hoping to reach heaven by creating a large tower. God destroyed this tower, and with it people’s ability to communicate through one shared language. Nowadays Babel is an online multilingual translation website, which utilises technology to facilitate communication. Ketley believes that Dubai is a place where people, despite their varied languages people strive to achieve common goals which is expressed in some of the world’s largest buildings.

XVA Gallery, Al Fahidi Neighbourhood, Dubai, 7pm to 10pm daily, Tel: (0)4 353 5383, xvagallery.com

Images: Provided and social