Asuncion Molinos Gordo explores food, labor & land at Art Jameel

Welcome back to Al-Monitor Dubai.

As Art Dubai takes over the city, we highlight new shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi exploring tech, food, labor and politics. Among the highlights is a new exhibition at Art Jameel by Spanish artist Asuncion Molinos Gordo, Indian artist Shilpa Gupta’s first solo show in the Middle East at Ishara Art Foundation, a new nightclub and restaurant opening in Dubai, and a show by French artist Thomas Lelu at Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery.

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Happy reading,

Rebecca

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1. Leading the week: ‘The Peasant, the Scholar and the Engineer’

“Al-Mat’am Elli Mish Masri” by Asuncion Molinos Gordo, at Art Jameel. (Courtesy of Art Jameel)

A major exhibition by Spanish artist and researcher Asuncion Molinos Gordo has opened at Art Jameel, exploring one of today’s most urgent global issues: the politics of land, labor and sustainability. It marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in West Asia. Through in-depth, carefully researched and powerful installations, Gordo examines the marginalization of rural communities — often dismissed as peripheral yet rich in knowledge essential to climate adaptation and food security. Moreover, the works on show explore farming communities, food systems, and traditional agricultural knowledge from Egypt and the Arab world to the artist’s native Spain, known for its shared Muslim and Arab heritage. 

“‘The Peasant, the Scholar and the Engineer’ is a landmark survey exhibition that speaks to some of the most urgent questions of our time, such as how we grow and circulate food, how we value knowledge and who gets to co-create the future,” Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel, told Al-Monitor. “Asuncion Molinos Gordo’s work brings a rural form of intelligence to the center of pressing conversations, deconstructing dominant systems and allowing space for voices often overlooked,” she said. 

Gordo’s work is strongly influenced by anthropology, sociology and cultural studies. It questions contemporary mainstream discourses as well as urban-centric ways of understanding progress. Gordo won the Sharjah Biennial Prize in 2015 for her project WAM (World Agriculture Museum), and she represented Spain at the 13th Havana Biennial in 2019 in Havana, Cuba. She is currently studying anthropology and ethnography at UNED in Spain.

Dates: Until Sept. 21

Location: Art Jameel, Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Scandal

An interior view of Scandal on level 53 of the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Dubai. (Courtesy of Scandal)

If you’re craving great food paired with a dash of burlesque flair, this new nightlife venue delivers. Each evening features soulful live vocals accompanied by elegant cabaret dancers or daring acrobatics, all set to rhythmic beats and the pulsating sounds of international DJs — coming together for a truly captivating performance.

Guests can unwind on plush red velvet seating in a dimly lit, mood-rich setting while indulging in a Latin-inspired menu. Start with the ceviche verde or tuna tiradito, then turn up the drama with one of the flamed signature dishes — the miso guajillo beef or the chicken with pineapple are both crowd-pleasers. For a sweet finale, don’t miss the churro seduction topped with cinnamon gold powder.

Location: 53rd floor of Sheraton Grand Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai

Find more information here.

3. Dubai diary

An exhibition view of “Lines of Flight” by Shilpa Gupta at the Ishara Art Foundation. Courtesy of Ishara Art Foundation

• Shilpa Gupta: “Lines of Flight” at Ishara Art Foundation

Marking her first solo exhibition in the Middle East, Indian artist Shilpa Gupta presents a series of sculptures, drawings and site-specific interventions curated by Sabiha Ahmed. Spanning works from 2006 to the present, the show delves into Gupta’s long-standing investigation into what it means to be an individual in a world increasingly defined by surveillance and inequality. One standout piece, “Still They Know Not What I Dream,” presents text in reverse, compelling viewers to reconsider their physical orientation in space and the rhythm of their daily movements, while challenging conventional notions of language and memory.

Dates: Until May 31

Location: Ishara Art Foundation, Alserkal Avenue

Find more information here.

• Miles Greenberg: Le Miroir at ICD Brookfield Place

Performance artist Miles Greenberg is presenting a new multi-channel film project during Art Dubai that explores self-reflection and emotional transformation. The first iteration of the work debuted as a live performance at El Badi Palace in Marrakech during the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in late January. The second, filmed over three days in the UAE desert, features Greenberg performing a solitary traversal through the landscape. The two pieces come together in a multi-channel video inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1975 film “Mirror” about the Soviet-era poet’s memories of his life.

Dates: Until May 18

Location: ICD Brookfield Place, Downtown Dubai

Find more information here.

• “Calm Down, It’s Just Art” by Thomas Lelu

This exhibition brings together French artist Thomas Lelu’s signature blend of photographic art, installations, and text-based works that recontextualize imagery from popular culture and the media. Lelu interrogates contemporary society, consumerism and the mechanisms of the art world itself. His works often subvert — and even desacralize — the role of the visual artist today, prompting viewers to ask: What is art today, really? 

Dates: Until June 14

Location: Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery, 796 Jumeira St - Umm Suqeim - Umm Suqeim 2

Find more information here.