Bubble Land in Dubai: Naeemeh Kazemi’s surreal new show
A surrealist show at Alserkal, a Nordic-Japanese feast, and the UAE’s cultural reach in Osaka.
Welcome back to Al-Monitor Dubai.
This week we are highlighting the surreal, vibrantly colored paintings of Iranian artist Naeemeh Kazemi at Leila Heller Gallery, a new upscale restaurant in Dubai blending Nordic and Japanese cuisine, a series of business and cultural events at the UAE Pavilion at the Osaka Expo 2025 and a novel by award-winning Emirati novelist Nadia Najar.
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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: “Bubble Land” by Naeemeh Kazemi
Naeemeh Kazemi. Untitled (Bubble Land Series), 2025. Watercolor on Cardboard. 45 x 45 cm. (Courtesy of the artist)
A series of theatrical, vibrantly colored compositions can be found on view at Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai by Iranian visual artist Naeemeh Kazemi. Filled with a pulsating slew of forms and figures, including confetti-like bubbles, clowns, and even cartoonish characters like a representation of Wonder Woman, Kazemi’s works transform daily existence into a sea of metaphors. Her latest show, titled Bubble Land, presents the absurdities of contemporary life through his cacophonous ocean of fascinating objects and individuals all riding a metaphorical wave of glee and despair as they wrestle with daily personal and collective existence during times of agony and uncertainty.
Figures in these latest works recall James Ensor’s masks and Pablo Picasso’s harlequins as they pendulate between an ethereal, sublime realm and one of the grotesque and horror. Yet even while the dichotomy of such representations is presented, there seems to be a subtle, even harmonious balance found in these works as the figures and the forms the artist paints represent some temporary, fleeting moment of elation and transcendence amid all the madness.
Dates: Through Sept. 15
Location: Leila Heller Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
Find more information here.
2. Word on the street: FZN by Björn Frantzén
A delicious dish served at FZN by Björn Frantzén. (Courtesy of FZN by Björn Frantzén)
One of Dubai’s most popular upscale restaurants, FZN by Swedish chef Björn Frantzén — a restaurant whose siblings include Frantzén in Stockholm and Zén in Singapore — serves Nordic cuisine blended with Japanese influences. Frantzén, the only chef in the world to hold three Michelin three-star restaurants, opened his latest restaurant FZN in Dubai in October 2024. The restaurant, recently named Time Out Dubai’s Restaurant of the Year, is a winner not only for its mouth-watering cuisine but also its uniquely designed dim-lit ambiance and dining experience within a 27-seat restaurant featuring an open kitchen. Definitely try the 12-course tasting menu. Other dishes to try include the duck barbecue with yuzu, turbot with Cecina de wagyu and foie gras. At Dhs2,000 per person, it is undeniably one of Dubai’s most costly menus, but it is worth it. Don’t forget to try a glass from the restaurant’s extensive wine cellar, offering curated pairings for every course.
Location: Atlantis The Palm’s The Avenues
Find more information here
3. Dubai diary
An exterior view of the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. (Courtesy of the UAE Pavilion)
• Earth to Ether: UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka
Around three years after Expo 2020 Dubai, the UAE is staging a pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan. Titled Earth to Ether, the date palm tree-inspired pavilion celebrates the country’s rich heritage and forward-looking vision, and welcomed its two millionth visitor as of early July.
To mark the milestone, the UAE team hosted a special event inspired by the Tanabata festival, underscoring the pavilion’s role in fostering cultural connections between the Middle East and Far East.
The pavilion’s design was led by Emirati creatives Mariam Almemari, Shaikha Al Ketbi, Shamma Al Bastaki, and Omar Al Suwaidi, in collaboration with Milan-based design firm Rimond and Japanese subcontractors Process Iguchi and Shelter, who developed sustainable construction materials from date palm waste. German architecture firm Atelier Brückner crafted the multisensory journey inside the pavilion.
Throughout August, the pavilion will host interactive innovation workshops led by Sara Farha and Khaled Shalka, winners of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2025, along with thematic talks, cultural showcases, and artistic performances.
Dates: Through Oct. 13
Location: Yumeshimanaka, an island on the waterfront of Osaka
Find more information here
• Morteza Khazaie: Upside Down
Curated by Dubai-based collector Farshad Mahoutforoush, this solo exhibition showcases the work of Iranian artist Morteza Khazaie, known for his evocative wooden sculptures. Drawing inspiration from trees that bend under the force of strong winds yet resist breaking, Khazaie explores themes of strength and flexibility in the face of upheaval. In this series, the artist weaves together personal, collective, and environmental narratives to poetically capture how adversity can lead to new paths—guided by hope and resilience, even in the most challenging of times.
Dates: Through Sept. 15
Location: Leila Heller Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
Find more information here
• Natalie Imbruglia at Dubai Opera
The Australian-born singer and actress will illuminate the stage of Dubai Opera in later August with her catchy songs and stunning performance. While the exact setlist hasn’t been announced, fans can expect to hear a mix of her classic hits and new releases, including her well-known songs such as “Torn”; “Big Mistake”; and “Shiver.”
Date: Aug. 23
Location: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai
Find more information here
4. Book of the week: “Touch of Light”
Earlier this year, Emirati author Nadia Najar’s novel “Touch of Light,” which delves into the Arabian Gulf's recent past, including the history of Dubai and the discovery of oil in the United Arab Emirates, made the shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The book features a blind protagonist who uses special technology to investigate the content of photographs. Najar also previously won the Sharjah Book Fair Award for Best Emirati Book, the Emirates Novel Award and the Al Owais Award. Her previous books include The Exile of Memory (2014), Cities of Passion (2015) and The D Trilogy (2017).
5. View from Dubai
An image from the “The Place of Perpetual Undulation,” by Reem Falaknaz. (Courtesy of Reem Falaknaz)
Based between Oman and the United Arab Emirates, Reem Falaknaz is an Emirati documentary photographer whose work captures the social and physical landscape of the UAE and its inhabitants. In 2014, she participated in the Arab Documentary Photography Program, funded by the Arab Fund for Art and Culture, the Prince Claus Fund, and the Magnum Foundation. Her notable commissions include the UAE’s National Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale and the 2020 Lahore Biennale.
In The Place of Perpetual Undulation, Falaknaz presents a series of images reflecting the landscape, people, and particularly the mountain valleys of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. The work was produced with support from NYU Abu Dhabi’s FIND program, the Arab Fund for Art and Culture, the Prince Claus Fund, and the Magnum Foundation.
6. By the numbers
- The number of funds setting up shop in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) grew 72% in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2024, reaching a total of 85, according to the DIFC. The growth reflects a strong trend of financial firms relocating or expanding to Dubai.
- Dubai’s financial center registrations rose 32% in the first half of 2025, according to the DIFC.
- The total number of active companies at the Gulf's largest financial hub sat at 7,700 as of the end of June, up 25% from a year earlier, said the DIFC.