Knots, circles and tension at Sharjah Art

Welcome back to Al-Monitor Dubai.

This week we spotlight the upcoming show of Emirati artist Afra Al Dhaheri at the Sharjah Art Foundation; a new and upscale Greek restaurant in Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab; a group show on Middle Eastern women; and “Swan Lake” at the Dubai Opera.

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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: ‘Restless Circle’ by Afra Al Dhaheri

Afra Al Dhaheri. “Spiral staircase No. 1, 2 & 3.” 2020. (Courtesy of the artist and Green Art Gallery, Dubai. Photography by Anna Shtraus.)

The first institutional show on the works of Emirati artist Afra Al Dhaheri at the Sharjah Art Foundation presents key pieces exploring the effects of structural tension, time and repetition. 

The artworks on show comprise both new commissions and older works, and ask the question: What happens when we stay a while with what is quiet, invisible and unresolved?

Working with materials such as cotton rope, fabric, cement and hair, Al Dhaheri emphasizes slow gestures, intentional movements and the fatigue that can build from ongoing and repetitive labor. Time weaves itself into the artworks, striking a delicate balance between continuity and rupture.

In “Round and Round We Go” (2023), cotton rope is wrapped around five wooden rings, with bobby pins clipped into the structure. In “Pull, Tie, Release” (2024), knotted ropes are extended across a wooden frame. The title reads like a set of instructions, reflecting the choreography of the work’s production from holding on to letting go.

On view are also two new commissions: For “I craved a garden, it emerged in the folds” (2025), Al Dhaheri creates a mobile structure that reflects a more intuitive way of art creation, whereas the second commission, “Restless Circle” (2025), derives its inspiration from desert plants that etch spiral patterns in the sand as they move, seemingly in tune with the wind. 

For Al Dhaheri, these works examine how constant motion without moving to a clear destination is a metaphor for collective burnout and mental exhaustion. 

Dates: Aug. 30 to Dec. 14

Location: Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Iliana

A view of Greek dishes at Iliana at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai. (Courtesy of Jumeirah Group)

For those returning from summer holidays spent visiting the Greek Isles, this new upscale Greek eatery will satisfy any nostalgic longing for a zesty Aegean diet. Iliana is the latest addition to Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, featuring an interior replete with off-white and wooden accents, olive-toned textures and stone — a nod to the architecture and design of the Greek Isles. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Andreas Gkipalis, formerly of the acclaimed Estiatorio Milos.

Head here for a relaxing lunch or dinner as you gaze out onto the Arabian Sea while indulging in delicious Greek dishes. Be sure to try the choriatiki salad with mizithra, moussaka, tuna fasolakia and lobster pandesia. If you opt for dinner at Iliana, be sure to take in a view of the Burj Al Arab at sunset amid the glistening waters — an utterly serene and meditative experience.

Location: Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai

Find more information here.

3. Dubai diary

Marwan Bassiouni. “New British Views #06,” England. 2021. Pigment print on fine art paper mounted on Dibond. 166 x 125 cm. (Courtesy of the artist and Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai)

• ‘New Western Views (Preview)’ by Marwan Bassiouni

Swiss-born photographer Marwan Bassiouni, who has Egyptian and Italian American heritage, is staging his first solo exhibition in the region with “New Western Views (Preview),” presenting photographs that were taken between 2018 and 2022 from inside mosques across Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands, offering a first-hand look at the Muslim presence in these countries located in the West. Each image presents familiar contemporary landscapes incorporating interiors shaped by Islamic visual culture such as wooden minbars, rugs, patterned tiles, and various other architectural elements that were drawn from cultures and communities in the East such as Turkey, Lebanon, Bosnia, India, Morocco, India and Pakistan.

Dates: Sept. 18 to Nov. 5

Location: Lawrie Shabibi, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Find more information here.

• ‘Shifting Gazes: Women through Middle Eastern Eyes’

This exhibition presents over eight decades of artistic creation, displaying 27 works by artists from the Middle East. Curated by Amir Arvand, on view are artworks that reflect Qajar-inspired photography as well as bold sculptures, digital media and abstract expressionist paintings, all from The Farjam Collection. The works on view offer a dialogue on resilience, memory and identity.

Dates: Until Oct. 1

Location: The Farjam Foundation, Gate Avenue, Dubai International Financial Center

Find more information here.

• “Swan Lake” at the Dubai Opera

One of the ballet world’s most renowned classics will be performed in Dubai at the end of September by the Hungarian National Ballet. Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between 1875-1876, the ballet charts the love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette — a princess cursed to be a swan during the day.

Dates: Sept. 25-28

Location: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai

Find more information here.