8 must-visit art shows happening around the region

As 2024 has drawn to a close, we reflect on a year defined by radical transformation and unwavering resistance. Across the SWANA region, artists have turned the year’s turmoil and upheaval plaguing the Global South into enthralling exhibitions that explore themes of defiance, identity, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

From monumental showcases in national galleries to intimate displays in independent spaces across Dubai, Ramallah, Marrakech, and beyond, we’ve curated a list of some of the best art exhibitions worth your time. These shows transcend boundaries, challenge conventions and amplify marginalised voices, offering powerful reflections on resilience in the face of oppression and serving as perpetual reminders of the indomitability of art.

Voices of Resilience (Ramallah Art Fair) – Zawyeh Gallery, Ramallah

Having opened on December 7 and running until January 18, Ramallah’s Zawyeh Gallery is highlighting the evocative works of 35 Palestinian artists, reflecting the spirit of Palestinian resilience in the face of the ongoing atrocities in Gaza. The exhibition presents over 100 artworks, centring on the themes of displacement, identity, and the deep connection Palestinians maintain to their land.

Sambadio by Abdoulaye Konaté – Efie Gallery, Dubai

Pioneering Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté marked his debut solo exhibition in the Middle East on October 10 when Sambadio opened at Dubai’s Efie Gallery. Defined by a monumental 9-meter work, Konaté draws upon the nomadic Bedouin culture to pay tribute to the profound relationship communities maintain with the land they harbour, drawing parallels between West African and Middle Eastern culture, and, in the spirit of Ali Farka Touré’s 1976 song Sambadio, which the exhibition takes its name from, to honour the earth we endlessly wander. 

No Scheherazade by Farhad Ahrarnia – Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai

Iranian-British artist Farhad Ahrarnia’s fourth solo gallery at Lawrie Shabibi, inspired by Scheherazade, the Iranian narrator of The Thousand and One Nights, is open from December 16 until January 28. Playing with the power of brand recognition and engaging with the essence of fashion and clothing, Ahrarnia’s work dissects and celebrates Princess Diana, Keith Haring and the 80s – its glitz as well as the haunting spectre of HIV and AIDS that ravaged lives and communities throughout the decade.

Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Gérôme – Qatar Museums, Doha

Jean-Léon Gérôme was a 19th century French sculptor and painter whose art and visual storytelling eclipsed those of any other artists at the time. His paintings were so widely produced that he came to be known as the most famous living artist in the world by the late 19th century. Over a century after Gérôme produced his final work, the future Lusail Museum, in collaboration with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, have produced Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Gérôme, which features around 400 works of art. Drawing extensively from the Lusail Museum’s collection of Orientalist art, the exhibition examines Gérôme’s enduring legacy while also exploring the wider impact of the Orientalist art movement. 

We saw an endless cycle – Hayy Jameel, Jeddah

Inspired by the Seher Shah poem of the same name, We saw an endless cycle brings together works by 17 artists, all centring on the intimacy of gestures and movements – walking, photographing, painting, drawing, writing and sculpting. The exhibition, which opened last month and runs until April 2025, reflects on how these gestures have evolved across time and space to contemplate how these mundane, everyday actions are much more dynamic, intimate, and consequential than we may think them to be.

Fieldworks by Amina Agueznay – Loft Art Gallery, Marrakech

Rooted in the research and experimentation that shapes Amina Agueznay’s work, Fieldworks reinterprets artistic narratives, tapping into the idiosyncrasies that span Morocco. Agueznay’s exhibition also pays homage to the land, translating its rich heritage into contemporary visual language. Running till mid-January, Fieldworks is an innovative, research-driven look into continuity and community.

Manzar: Art and Architecture from Pakistan 1940s to Today – National Museum of Qatar, Doha

Like many words in Urdu, Manzar (منظر) does not entail a singular, rigid meaning. It can be translated to describe a scene, a view, a landscape, or a perspective. This word embodies the essence of the Art Mill Museum’s exhibition exploring Pakistani art and architecture since the country’s decolonial independence in 1947. Organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Qatar, Manzar features approximately 200 paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, installations and tapestries, all of which offer a throughline of the evolution of Pakistan’s burgeoning art scene – and its cultural, spiritual, and political roots – over the course of the eight decades since the country was founded. Entry to the exhibition is free, and Manzar will be open until the end of January.  

The Land and I by Nabil Anani – Zawyeh Gallery, Dubai

Halhul-born Palestinian artist Nabil Anani has made painting landscapes a feature of his work for more than two decades. In The Land and I, at Zawyeh Gallery in Dubai, Anani continues to find inspiration in landscapes. The exhibition features a plethora of textured paintings of Palestine, demonstrating how the land is central to his very identity and existence. The Land And I celebrates the Palestine Amini dreams of – a free country of vast terrains riddled with olive trees offering shelter from the beating sun, with no checkpoints, cement barriers, or settlements anywhere in sight. This exhibition, which opened in September and will run until mid-January, is an act of resistance – a refusal to cave into the colonial status quo of Apartheid, erasure and land theft.