Abu Dhabi breaks ground on Dar Al Funoon performing arts venue

Welcome back to AL-MONITOR Dubai.

Exciting news came out of Abu Dhabi last week: The UAE capital will soon get a premier performing arts venue, Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi. When it opens in 2030, it will be the region’s largest and most technically advanced performing arts center. Elsewhere, we highlight an exhibition of works by Palestinian artist Inass Yassin in Abu Dhabi; a summer group show at Lawrie Shabibi blending the creative disciplines of art, design, architecture and craft; and a new beachfront restaurant in Abu Dhabi specializing in Lebanese coastal cuisine.

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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: Dar Al Funoon Performing Arts Center

A rendering of the upcoming Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi. (Courtesy of The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi)

Construction has begun on Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi, a performing arts venue designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, who passed away on Dec. 5, 2025. The announcement by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) on June 25 outlined the aims of the upcoming landmark institution on Saadiyat Island, which is set to become one of the region’s most technically advanced and comprehensive performing arts venues upon opening in 2030. 

“Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi will be a permanent home for performance at the highest international level, bringing together leading artists, companies and creative talent from the UAE, the region and across the world,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, in the announcement. “Through artistic residencies, international partnerships and world-class productions, it will expand opportunities for cultural exchange, inspire new generations of creatives, and further strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a global centre for creativity, exchange and artistic excellence.”

The performing arts have been on the rise in Abu Dhabi, demonstrated by its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2021 and the growing number of platforms dedicated to music, dance and theater in the capital.

The venue reflects a major investment by Abu Dhabi in its cultural infrastructure, presenting the emirate’s vision of creating world-class platforms for artistic excellence, cultural exchange and the championing of young regional talent. It will be located not far from the Saadiyat Cultural District and will offer a highly adaptable performance complex, serving as a permanent home for opera, ballet, theater and other live performances at the highest international level.

The venue will operate year-round and will include a multipurpose performance hall of more than 2,000 seats, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheater, a 400-seat studio theater and a 250-seat jazz venue. Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi also intends to support long-term artistic residencies, touring partnerships and co-productions with the world’s leading performing arts companies.

Date: opening 2030

Location: Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Ibn Bahar

A view of Ibn Bahar on Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. (Courtesy of Ibn Bahar)

One of Dubai’s most popular Lebanese and seafood restaurants, Ibn Bahar, which means “son of the sea” in Arabic, has opened in Abu Dhabi’s Makers District on Reem Island. Overlooking the Arabian Gulf, the rustic setting is ideal for long lunches and dinners with spectacular sunset views. As with the Dubai branch, there is a market-style seafood counter where diners can select from a range of fresh fish. The menu highlights Lebanese coastal cuisine, including fish kibbeh, creamy hummus, garlic and chilli prawns, grilled calamari and the restaurant’s signature Sayadieh, a spiced fish-and-rice dish. 

Location: Reem Island, Abu Dhabi

Find more information here.

3. Dubai diary

Inass Yasin. Unmasked 3. 2020. Oil on wood panel. (Courtesy of the artist and Iyad Qanazea Gallery)

• ‘In a Group Picture’ by Inass Yassin 

A presentation of new and recent works by Palestinian artist Inass Yassin brings together a selection of paintings and mixed-media works produced across different stages of her ongoing investigation into the aesthetics of celebratory scenes in rural Palestinian portraiture. Drawing from the visual language of 1980s family wedding albums, the exhibition, titled “In Group Picture,” showcases richly rendered paintings drawn from years of research, fieldwork and conversations with residents of the village of Asira alShamaliya. In so doing, Yassin attempts to reconstruct the visual memory of domestic celebrations through rooms and gardens rendered in vivid colors, woven textiles, patterned curtains, paper decorations, flowers, fruit, horses and drums. 

Date: until July 30

Location: Iyad Qanazea Gallery

Find more information here. 

• ‘Cross Scripts’ 

Lawrie Shabi’s summer show “Cross Scripts” presents a group exhibition that blurs the lines between art, design, architecture and craft. The works of creatives from across the region trace a shared visual language across disciplines, demonstrating how geometry evolves into ornamentation and how utility can inform sculptural form. Participating artists include Hamra Abbas, MODU Method, Farhad Ahrarnia, Sarah Almehairi, Kamrooz Aram, Bernhard Buhmann, Nada Debs, Areen Hassan, KAMEH, Bil Arabi, Mehdi Moutashar, Timo Nasseri, Driss Ouadahi and Ishmael Randall-Weeks. Works by Zein Daouk, Carlo Massoud, Mary-Lynn Massoud and Rasha Nawam are also on display, courtesy of Lebanese rug maker Iwan Maktabi. 

Date: until July 31

Location: Lawrie Shabibi, Alserkal Avenue

Find more information here.

• ‘Seeing Ourselves’

This student-led exhibition, in collaboration with Zayed University, takes place at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation in Abu Dhabi. Titled “Seeing Ourselves,” it marks the culmination of a yearlong program in collaboration with the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises at Zayed University. The fully student-led exhibition started with a residency program in which student artists worked alongside French photographer Philip Ducap to develop works for the exhibition. 

“Seeing Ourselves” invites visitors to explore how cultural identity is constructed through images by placing works by Emirati students in dialogue with pieces from the Bassam Freiha Private Collection, which is largely shaped by Western artists' interpretations of the region from an outsider's perspective.

Date: until Aug. 31

Location: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Find more information here.