12 great art exhibitions in Dubai to check out this January

So many inspiring 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 12 gorgeous galleries to visit in Dubai this January.

Bedia Gallery

This is one of the most recent galleries to enter the art scene, and it is owned by Kemal Yazici, the first Turkish gallery owner and artist in Dubai. Born in Turkey and raised in Germany, Kemal Yazici creates contemporary abstract art by utilising geometrical and organic elements. Yazici creates his masterpieces by overlapping layers, combining flowing textures and using bespoke tools to depict the vibrant dynamic world we live in. Bedia Gallery houses Kemal’s unique work as well as his art studio on the first floor.

Bedia Gallery, Warehouse 10, Al Khayat Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, Tues to Sun 10am 7pm, Mon closed, Tel: (0)4 335 9133, bediagallery.com

BOCCARA Gallery

When: Until Monday January 23

Anna Chekh is hosting her second exhibition with the BOCCARA Gallery after her debut success. Chekh’s exhibition will display her bright and vibrant artwork which features playful elements such as cartoon characters, combining expression with surrealism, whilst utilising these characters to make societal commentary. Her collection, Faceless, combines several diverse mediums, from the traditional canvas to digital art. One of her most notable pieces, Shadow Man, illustrates the new generation’s use of social networks to form social connections whilst remaining anonymous and thus removing themselves from the reality of physical experiences.

BOCCARA Gallery, Zone C, Gate Avenue, DIFC, daily 10am to 10pm, Tel: (0)55 583 4667, boccara.com

Carbon.12

When: Wednesday January 11 to Monday February 20

À Rebours is Gil Heitor Cortesão’s fifth solo exhibition with Carbon 12, using his signature technique of reverse painting on plexiglass. The artist utilises layering which creates a sense of illusion, distorting what the viewer can see and what they believe may exists within these layers. Gil Heitor Cortesão’s work takes inspiration from 1960’s and 70’s architecture, creating a fusion of familiarity and utopia.

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

The Efie Gallery

When: Thursday January 12 to Tuesday 24

In an exhibition titled The Art of Advocacy, one of our favorite African art galleries is showcasing the work of Ethiopian photographer, Aïda Muluneh. The collection will include a diverse range of works that demonstrate the artist’s ability to use art as a tool for change, with some of her works even being commissioned for the Nobel Peace Prize. Muluneh’s new venture of exploring mixed media through hand-painting acrylic onto photographs will be featured in this exhibition. Muluneh is best known for her powerful portraits of women in surreal settings, with advocacy playing an important role in her work, focusing on human rights, conflict, colonialism, and health.

The Efie Gallery, Al Quoz, Dubai, Tel: (0)4 252 4182, efiegallery.com

Ishara Art Foundation

When: Wednesday January 18 till May 20

Exploring philosophical and political dimensions of time, this group exhibition includes the works of over 20 contemporary artists from South Asia and its diasporas. Notations on Time depicts a dialogue between artistic generations, illustrating complexities between the past, present and future. Pushing away from Western notions, Notations on Time highlights different ways of thinking about aesthetics, existence, remembrance and futurity.

Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, Mon to Sat 10am to 7pm, Tel: (0)4 223 3001, ishara.org

Jameel Arts Centre

When: Until April 2, 2023

Jameel Arts Centre is hosting an extended exhibition which explores 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

Lawrie Shabibi

When: Wednesday January 11 until Friday February 17

Kickstarting the new year, Lawrie Shabibi is hosting Larry Amponsah’s first solo exhibition in the UAE titled, The Soil From Which We Came. Amponsah’s works evoke a deeper understanding and connectivity to contemporary black culture, identity, politics and history, through the artist’s creative tone of reconfiguring and modifying imagery through collage and painting. This exhibition will bring out your inner romantic, with the pieces exploring connections from person to person,  inhabitant and the inhabited as well as the relationship between things and people. The Soil From Which We Came, challenges and plays with the parameters to which artists can utilise painting and mixed media. This exhibition is not to be missed.

Lawrie Shabibi, Al Quoz 1 Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai, Mon to Sat 10pm to 6pm, Sun closed, Tel: (0)4 346 9906, lawrieshabibi.com

Leila Heller Gallery

When: Until Friday January 13

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

ME Dubai

When: Thursday January 19 until Friday February 17

The ME Dubai is located in an architectural masterpiece created by the late Dame Zaha Hadid. The hotel has a long-standing commitment to supporting the arts and creating memorable experiences for guests through the promotion of local and upcoming talents. Their most recent artistic endeavour is the exhibition of local artist Kristel Bechara, which explores the theme of ‘Wise Women,’ a modern-day interpretation of an ancient Japanese proverb. Her seven resulting artworks derive from this proverb, ‘think no evil, do no evil, post no evil’, displaying women in dramatic poses, evoking a philosophical curiosity within the viewer.

ME Dubai, The Opus by Omniyat, Al A’amal St, Business Bay, Dubai, Tel: (0)4 525 2500, melia.com

Perrotin Dubai

When: Until Saturday January 28

Partnering with ICD Brookfield Place, Perrotin Dubai is hosting Takashi Murakami’s first exhibition in Dubai, showcasing a variety of iconic works including paintings, sculptures and installations of various mediums. Murakami fuses modern techniques with the precision and skillfulness of traditional Japanese art. The artist is the originator of the ‘Superflat Thoery’ which reconstructs Japanese traditional paintings and original Japanese contemporary art using anime and manga visual premises.

Perrotin Dubai, DIFC Gate Village, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai, Mon to Fri 10am to 1am, Sat & Sun 3pm to 1am, Tel: (0)4 565 5068, perrotin.com

Tabari Artspace

When: Thursday January 12 to Monday 27

Over 18 months, Zaid Al Najjar has curated his solo exhibition Under Your Eyes, which showcases Emirati visual pieces that challenges the boundaries of materials and visual perception. Using silk prints and works on canvas, the artist fuses influences from the natural world and modern entities. Najjar explores the interconnected nature of the natural, constructed and spirited reals and how these elements reflect and play into his lived experiences.

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

XVA

When: Until January Tuesday 24

Lana Khayat’s solo exhibition, Conversation With The Wilderness, brings the artists immense connection with nature to life. Through her artwork, Khayat depicts her conversations with nature, that she has found too personal to put into words, using the canvas as her way to reflect these dialogues. This exhibitions ‘bridges what is natural and what is constructed’, hoping to inspire individuals to discover deeper meaning in nature, where you can escape the mundane and find meaning in everything.

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

Images: social and provided