old works in new exhibitions

'the palm tree of life' at 'interwoven', house of arts . 2025

 

'emirian' at 'departures', nomad abu dhabi . 2025

it's been quite a nice surprise to find out that two of my artworks are being exhibited during the month of november!

'the palm tree of life', is currently on view at the newly launched house of arts, located in expo city dubai. the artwork is included in the group exhibition 'interwoven', which opened on 17 november 2025 and runs until the end of 2026. the artwork was originally commissioned and produced in 2019 for the 1971 design space group exhibition 'fashcultivate', curated by fatma al mahmoud and khulood bin thani (see more here).

'emirian' is part of the group exhibition 'departures' at nomad abu dhabi, located at the old terminal 1 at zayed international airport. the exhibition runs from 19 – 21 november 2025. 'emirian' was originally commissioned by uae unlimited in 2016 for the group exhibition 'al haraka baraka: in movement there is blessing' at maraya art centre, curated by ali macgilp (see more here).

it's such a treat to see these artworks exhibited after so many years. as both these works belong to private collections, it felt like a reunion with old friends. thank you 'interwoven' curator alia al shamsi and 'departures' curator aleksi afanasiev for including my works in your shows, and to the 1971 design space and uae unlimited teams for loaning the works from their collections.

thejamjar 20

thejamjar 20 . 2025

thejamjar 20 . 2025

thejamjar 20 . 2025

thejamjar 20 . 2025

i'm happy to finally share this special window illustration i worked on for thejamjar who is celebrating it's twentieth anniversary this year. 

thejamjar is one of the og community art spaces in the city. i have many fond memories of visiting thejamjar since its early beginnings till today. as a young artist twenty years ago, thejamjar was a great space to be introduced to the local art scene/community, and have attended many of their exhibitions, community initiatives and programming. it's ethos haven't changed – it is still a place for people to commune and share a love for the arts.

the window illustration represents a timeline of the jamjar's story so far – from it's earlier locations around the city, to the various collaborations and projects produced through the years. there's also a little nod to projects i've personally worked on with thejamjar almost ten years ago (see here).

i have to thank the woman behind thejamjar, hetal pawani, for the opportunity and trust to tell thejamjar's story, and for staying in touch through the years when the art world today makes me and many feel excluded... 

the window illustration is on display until the first quarter of 2026. so if anyone's planning on visiting alserkal avenue, please pass by thejamjar to appreciate the work in person.

happy birthday thejamjar – here's to twenty more... ending this post with a photo of me standing proudly in front of the window illustration. i hope you love it as much as i do.

thejamjar 20 . 2025 (photo courtesy of thejamjar)