Palestinian artists explore exile in Dubai

Welcome back to AL-MONITOR Dubai.

Despite ongoing disruption to travel and events across the UAE, Dubai’s galleries are pressing ahead with exhibitions that feel particularly resonant now. This week, we spotlight "Elusive Territories" at Zawyeh Gallery, a group show of Palestinian artists exploring exile and memory, alongside Nazilya Nagimova’s solo exhibition "Follow the Snail," which reflects on home as something carried, reshaped and reimagined. We also track the latest postponements and rescheduling across the country’s cultural calendar.

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Happy reading,

Rebecca

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Dubai's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: "Elusive Territories"

Samir Salameh. "Untitled," 2000. Oil and acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Zawyeh Gallery)

As disruption to travel and logistics continues to ripple through the UAE, galleries in Dubai are adjusting their programming in real time, reshaping exhibitions around what is possible rather than what was originally planned.

At Zawyeh Gallery, this shift has resulted in Elusive Territories, a group show bringing together 15 prominent Palestinian artists exploring exile, memory and homeland — themes that feel particularly resonant now.

“We were supposed to have a solo exhibition by Bashar Khalaf but we postponed it due to the situation and shipping delays,” Ziad Anani, founder and director of Zawyeh Gallery told Al-Monitor. “Instead, we decided to organize the present group show. The artist, based in Ramallah, was also unable to join us at this time.”

Participating artists include Hosni Radwan, a Palestinian artist born in Baghdad who has lived and painted in exile across various locations; Palestinian American Samia Halaby, known for her vibrant abstract canvases; and Bashir Makhoul, whose densely layered works reflect what it means to live in exile while remaining connected to one’s home. Also featured are Mohammed Joha, whose paintings capture the physicality of life in a refugee camp; Sliman Mansour, known for his distinctive use of Arabic calligraphy; and Kamal Boullata, whose representations of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem are transformed into colorful, geometric compositions. The show also includes Samir Salameh, whose work, pictured above, exudes the warmth of his Palestinian homeland in vivid red hues, echoing the emotions he experienced upon returning after a long exile.

Date: April 4 to June 30

Location: Zawyeh Gallery, Alserkal Avenue

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Chic Nonna

An exterior view of sleekly designed Chic Nonna in the Dubai International Financial Center. (Courtesy of Chic Nonna)

As disruption continues to weigh on Dubai’s hospitality sector, industry players are finding creative ways to adapt and keep business flowing. One example is Treat on Us, a newly launched UAE initiative that allows customers to prepay for selected dishes, which are then gifted to others by participating restaurants. Created by hospitality entrepreneur Alexander Sysoev, the platform aims to support venues through simple, community-driven gestures. Elsewhere, restaurants are adjusting their offers. Popular Asian spot Shanghai Me, for instance, is providing 20% off its a la carte menu until the end of April.

Against this backdrop, some venues remain firmly open, including the popular Italian eatery Chic Nonna. Located in the heart of the Dubai International Financial Center, the restaurant is the upscale international outpost of the original Florentine osteria concept. Overseen by Chef Francesco Torcasio, the Dubai venue spans two floors, with an open kitchen, terrace and lounge that blend traditional recipes with a modern twist. Listed in the Michelin Guide, it is easily recognizable by its bright green door. Standout dishes include the signature Calamarata 2.0 — a thick tubular pasta from Naples — as well as Fregola al Gambero Rosso, artichoke salad, fried zucchini flowers and Linguine Nerano.

Location: Gate Avenue 4, Gate Village, DIFC, South Zone, Dubai 

Find more information here.

3. Dubai diary

Nazilya Nagimova. "Follow the Snail," 2026. Exhibition view at NIKA Project Space Dubai. (Anna Straus)

• Nazilya Nagimova’s "Follow the Snail"

Marking her first UAE solo exhibition, Munster-based Tatar artist Nazilya Nagimova’s "Follow the Snail" explores themes of migration, home and memory through immersive installations. Particularly timely, the show reflects on shelter, refuge and what it means to carry one’s home and identity into new, evolving environments. The works, largely composed of large-scale felt installations, are designed as warm, enveloping spaces that offer a sense of sanctuary. Drawing on her Tatar and nomadic heritage, Nagimova examines how home can be both mobile and fragile, shifting over time. The snail in the title serves as a metaphor for carrying one’s home, while the installations explore tensions between light and darkness, memory and spiritual identity.

“This exhibition feels especially important to us right now because Nazilya Nagimova’s practice opens up a space for reflection, sensitivity and connection at a time when many people are moving through uncertainty and emotional heaviness,” Veronica Berezina, founder of NIKA Project Space, told Al-Monitor. “Keeping the gallery open in moments like these feels important to us as a way of holding space for reflection, dialogue and a sense of shared presence through art.”

Date: Until May 23

Location: NIKA Project Space, Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai

Find more information here.

• "Spring Group Show" at Taymour Grahne

This exhibition brings together five artists — Ala Younis and Latifa Alajlan from Kuwait, Gail Spaien from Connecticut, Emirati Roudhah Al Mazrouei and Rida Zahra from Lahore — whose distinct practices explore natural surroundings as well as personal and collective memory, through painting and mixed media. The works on display span a variety of disciplines including still life, abstraction and landscape, showcasing diverse ways in which artists tackle perception, contemporary life and their relationship to distinct places. 

Date: April 3 to May 7, 2026

Location: Taymour Grahne Projects, Warehouse 31A, Alserkal Avenue, Lane 4, Al Quoz 1, Dubai

Find more information here. 

• UAE events rescheduled and postponed

Abu Dhabi’s Offlimits Music Festival, originally set for April, has been pushed to November, with Shakira and the Jonas Brothers remaining on the lineup at Etihad Park. Christina Aguilera’s April 24 show has also been rescheduled to September 25. In Dubai, Jason Derulo was forced to cancel his headline performance at the Dubai World Cup’s 30th edition on March 28 due to travel disruptions — though the event itself went ahead as planned at Meydan Racecourse.