Emirati artist Shamsa Al Omaira returns with first solo show in 12 years
Also this week: Nobu One Za’abeel opens, Quoz Arts Fest returns and Abu Dhabi names a new biennial director
Welcome back to Al-Monitor Dubai.
The dynamic Al Quoz Fest by Alserkal returns this weekend with a wide range of exhibitions and performances, spanning Palestinian hip hop, Levantine singers and immersive art installations. This year’s festival aims to offer a rich, shared experience through performance, visual art and food. In Abu Dhabi, Emirati artist Shamsa Al Omaira is staging a solo exhibition at Iris Projects that explores diverse emotional and psychological states. Meanwhile, in Dubai, Nobu has launched its newest restaurant at The Link.
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Happy reading,
Rebecca
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1. Leading the week: ‘Hard Like Tears, Soft Like Glass’
Installation view of Shamas (2025) by Shamsa Al Omaira. (Photo courtesy of the artist and Iris Projects)
Emirati artist Shamsa Al Omaira is staging her first solo exhibition since 2012 in Abu Dhabi. Titled “Hard like Tears; Soft like Glass,” the show marks the culmination of a yearlong mentorship with UAE-based curator and art critic Nadine Khalil, through Iris Projects. The mentorship supported the development of Omaira’s practice and her experimentation with new mediums, including woodwork, stitching and installation.
A multidisciplinary artist and designer, Omaira often frames her work as a form of personal confessions, conceptually exploring diverse emotional and psychological states.
“Hard like Tears; Soft like Glass” reveals Shamsa Al Omaira’s innate ability to translate intimate, lived experience into material form,” Maryam Al Falasi, founder of Iris Projects, told Al-Monitor. “Emerging from a yearlong mentorship with Nadine Khalil, and following her recent sell-out works in our booth at Abu Dhabi Art, this exhibition marks her as one of the most compelling emerging female artists working in Abu Dhabi today.”
The works on display explore themes including family, childhood, generational divides and the duality of language. Largely conceptual in style and grounded in local personal and collective culture, many of the pieces draw directly on the artist’s lived experiences. Omaira, the second-youngest in a family of 10, grew up in what she describes as an intensive family life, an upbringing that shaped her understanding of how to articulate in a clear and original voice.
Date: until April 30
Location: Iris Projects, M_39, MiZa, Abu Dhabi
Find more information here.
2. Word on the street: Nobu One Za'abeel
An interior view of Nobu One Za'abeel. (Photo courtesy of Nobu)
Dubbed among the top new restaurants in Dubai to launch in early 2026, Nobu One Za’abeel — the latest restaurant from legendary chef Nobu Matsuhisa — has officially opened its doors. One of Dubai’s long-standing dining brands, Nobu first opened at Atlantis The Palm before expanding with a beach club at Atlantis The Royal.
The upscale eatery is known for its Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine, served in futuristic contemporary settings. The restaurant’s new location at The Link — the world’s longest cantilever bridge connecting the twin towers of One Za’abeel — places it alongside acclaimed venues such as La Dame De Pic, StreetXO and Tapasake.
Be sure to try the restaurant’s iconic Black Cod Miso, Yellowtail Sashimi with jalapeno, Rock Shrimp Tempura served with a light, creamy spicy sauce, and the succulent Wagyu dumplings, among other highlights.
Location: The Link, 25th floor, One Za’abeel, Dubai
Find more information here.
3. Dubai diary
A view of ENESS’ ‘Forest Dancer and the Path to Pure Creation,’ a large-scale, immersive light and sound installation, staged during Quoz Arts Fest 2025. (Photo courtesy of Alserkal Avenue)
- Quoz Arts Fest by Alserkal returns for 14th edition
Known for its rich multidisciplinary events, exhibitions and performances, Quoz Arts Fest returns this weekend with a dynamic program of events. Taking place in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s vibrant cultural district, as well as the wider Al Quoz Creative Zone, the festival presents homegrown and international talent through a curated mix of live music, performances, exhibitions, experimental installations and food experiences designed for all ages. This edition emphasizes movement and collective listening, while encouraging new modes of engaging with art in public spaces.
Highlights of this year’s festival include performances by Palestinian hip-hop collective DAM and Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan, TootArd and Gayathri Krishnan, whose work draws inspiration from the Levant, the desert and Asia. The program also features “From the Lips to the Moon,” a collaborative sonic journey created especially for the festival and hosted by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi. In the visual arts program, artist Jean-Baptiste André will present “Floe,” a nomadic project that brings together a visual installation designed by Vincent Lamouroux, which serves as the stage for a choreographed performance.
Date: Jan. 24-25
Location: Alserkal Avenue
Find more information here.
- ‘Chronicles from the Storm’ by Saher Nassar
In his latest body of work, Palestinian artist Saher Nasser chronicles prolonged states of loss, despair and moral exhaustion while exploring the effects of Palestinian displacement. Working across diverse media, he examines the erosion of hope and its role as a fundamental element of human survival. His pieces reflect the profound personal and collective events that have shaped his experience and his ongoing search for meaning in the face of adversity.
Date: until March 18
Location: Zawyeh Gallery, Alserkal Avenue
Find more information here.
Elvira Dyangani Ose announced as artistic director for Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial 2026
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has appointed Elvira Dyangani Ose as artistic director of the upcoming Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, which will open this autumn and run until 2027.
Ose currently serves as director of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). Her previous experience includes curating the 8th Gothenburg Biennial for Contemporary Art in 2015, as well as exhibitions at the Fondazione Prada. She has also held positions as chief curator at The Showroom in London, senior curator at Creative Time and curator of International Art at the Tate Modern.
Ose’s curatorial approach focuses on the retrieval of non-Western narratives and epistemologies, exploring how history can be reconsidered as a participatory practice and experience.
Date: Autumn 2026, dates to be confirmed
Location: Abu Dhabi
Find more information here.
4. Book of the week: ‘The Formation of the UAE’
Published in April 2024, Kristi Barnwell’s book charts the formation and rise of the United Arab Emirates, from its founding and unification on Dec. 2, 1971, which ended 150 years of British protection of the Gulf Arab states, to its development into the modern nation it is today. Barnwell examines how the ruling sheikhs sought to establish their new state while maintaining close ties to Great Britain, even as they publicly embraced popular ideologies — such as anti-imperialism and Arab socialism — that dominated political discourse across the Arab world.
5. View from Dubai
A view of a race during the Dubai Racing Carnival. (Photo courtesy of Dubai Racing Club)
One of Dubai’s most popular sporting events has returned. Dubai Racing Carnival 2025-26 kicked off on Nov. 7, 2025, at the iconic Meydan Racecourse and runs until March 13, with races starting at 5.30 p.m. and continuing throughout the evening. The event, also known for its vibrant lifestyle and entertainment offerings, includes 16 race meetings in total.
6. By the numbers
- Dubai municipality launched the first sand equestrian track in Hatta in September 2025. The first phase of the project spans 2.54 kilometers (1.5 miles) in length and 3 meters (10 feet) in width, providing an adventurous riding environment set against the striking beauty of Hatta’s mountainous landscape.
- The UAE has five main racecourses for thoroughbred and Arabian racing, located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Jebel Ali and Sharjah.
- For the annual Dubai World Cup 2025 — dubbed the world’s richest horse race — a total of 102 horses from 13 countries competed across nine races, with a combined prize pool of $30.5 million. The 30th anniversary of the Dubai World Cup is scheduled for March 28.