Dubai's best art exhibitions this October and November

Dubai’s art and culture scene is back in full swing after slowing down over the summer, with October and November packed with exhibitions worthy of your time. We’ve picked out five of the best. And better still, they’re all free.

THE DIVINE IS IN THE DETAIL (until November 8)
Named by Modern Painters magazine as one of ‘100 Can’t Miss Gallery Shows From Around The World’, Aisha Khalid’s first solo Dubai show is a treasure. The Pakistan-born artist’s training in Mughal miniatures is ever present in the skill of her work, with its focus not just on geometric precision but also economy – for all their detailed simplicity there is much to be read here about politics, society and spirituality.

Gallery IVDE, Unit 17, Street 8, Al Serkel Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
Tel: (04) 3235052. Taxi: Al Quoz 1.
ivde.net

MONDONGO (October 16 to November 16)
Metaphors abound with this new show by this Argentinian collective, showing for the first time in the UAE at Art Sawa’s new DIFC outpost. The name of a popular Argentinian stew, Mondongo (also the name of the collective) draws on a ‘cauldron of ingredients’ to create its works. Sequins, bullets and, er, burnt toast are just some of the materials used in the works on display. Playful yet high-minded – a kinship with Shakespeare is also alluded to – it all adds up to a fine recipe for success.

 Art Sawa, Gate Village 8, DIFC, Dubai.
Tel: (04) 3862366. Metro: Financial Centre.
artsawa.com

99 OBJECTS POSSIBLE TO FIND ON A CLOUD (until November 28)
Fresh from the success of his gallery-launching solo show at Ayyam London, this show features 99 printed works and sculptures that fill Ayyam’s vast Al Quoz space to form a single installation. As the exhibition title suggests, there is a playful, fantastical element at work here.

Ayyam Gallery, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, Dubai.
Tel: (04) 3236242. Taxi: Al Quoz 1.
ayyamgallery.com

INVESTIGATING MODERNISM IN THE ARAB WORLD (until November 22)
Check out this overview of the birth of Middle Eastern Modernism and see the influence of the West on the region’s art during the middle of the last century.

Barjeel Art Foundation, Level 2, Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, Sharjah.
Tel: (06) 5566555.
barjeelartfoundation.org


THE BLIND OWL (until October 24)
Iranian painter Pouran Jinchi’s works are, quite simply, beautiful. This exhibition continues her exploration into deconstructing calligraphy with a series based on a banned 1930s text that bears the same name as this show. Jinchi reveals the beauty and power of words lies not only in their meaning, but in the transcendent value of their form.

The Third Line, opposite Golden Sands Laundry, Al Quoz, Dubai
Tel: (04) 3411367.
thethirdline.com