Taking place at Etihad Museum on November 6, the exhibition built through an innovative partnership model, brings together exceptional works of art from both private and corporate collections

After many days, the Dubai Collection is back with its physical exhibition and will open its first exhibition ‘When Images Speak’ which will feature works from the private collection of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

Taking place at Etihad Museum on November 6, the exhibition built through an innovative partnership model brings together exceptional works of art from both private and corporate collections for public appreciation and international scholarship.

The initiative which was launched in October 2020 in collaboration with Dubai Culture and Art Dubai, hopes to create an institutional collection for the emirate with the participation of local art patrons.

Curated by Dr Nada Shabout, the exhibition will showcase a selection of modern and contemporary art from across the region, tracing a historical survey of Arab modernism and its progression into contemporary trends, while highlighting the Gulf region’s role in documenting the history of the Arab world’s art.

Commenting on the announcement, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Chair of the Dubai Collection’s Steering Committee said, “The opening of When Images Speak is an important milestone in the Dubai Collection’s trajectory, as it presents the actualisation of an innovative initiative conceptualised right here in Dubai. This could not have happened without the trust of our patrons and their belief in the ambition of this project that seeks to bring art in the Emirate to the public and public spaces in the UAE and abroad, connect patrons with locally-based artists, and collectively build Dubai’s art collection supporting its cultural sector.”

Promoting a collector base in the UAE and making art collecting more visible, the show titled ‘When Images Speak: Highlights from the Dubai Collection’, comprises three thematic chapters.

The first section, Abstract Variations, will focus on the use of abstraction by modern Arab artists such as Azzawi and Omar El Nagdi, who used it as a way to resist but also to innovate and imagine the future for art in the region.

The show’s second chapter, Societies in Transition will feature the works of Mahieddine, Selim, and Asaad Arabi, using the lens of the artist to consider issues in society, history, and culture, specifically with the importance of cultural identity amid the rise of internationalism.

The third segment— Evoking the Environment will showcase how artists’ dealings with place and cities as a way to understand notions of nationhood, belonging, as well as the changing landscapes as areas turned from rural to urban.