Dubai Collection is hosting a major presentation titled Made Forward, at Art Dubai from 15-17 May at Madinat Jumeirah, featuring works from over 20 private collections. Curated Dubai Collection events are also on offer to the public during the event, including tours with exhibition curator Jumanah Abbas, a series of talks, an artist studio visit, and a rare opportunity to visit the Dubai Collection Corporate Patron, A.R.M. Holding Art Collection at H Residence.
Made Forward brings together artists from West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia to explore the idea of belonging shaped over time. The exhibition speaks to the poetics of coming together, through the architectural, the social, the political, the personal, and the collective, and follows different thematic threads that ask how societies construct, endure, and carry themselves forward through time.
The exhibition includes over 30 works from 20 significant private collections in the UAE, including those of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, alongside over twenty other collections. Highlights include works by key figures in modern and contemporary art from the region, including Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq, Leila Nseir, and Brahim Dhahak, spanning abstraction, figuration, and experimental practices.
Muna Faisal Al Gurg, Chair of the Dubai Collection Curatorial Committee and CEO of the Museums and Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, said, “Dubai is evolving as a global centre for culture, with a growing ecosystem that supports artists, institutions, and creative practice. Opening the Made Forward exhibition are paintings by renowned artists, Gazbia Sirry and Zainab, from His Highness’s own collection. These unique pieces explore the textures of urban life, and recognise that cities such as Dubai are defined by the lives of the people who live in them and call it home. The essence of the Dubai Collection is a way to tell stories about the emirate and the communities that make it what it is. Through initiatives such as this, Dubai Culture continues to strengthen the infrastructure that enables artistic practice to develop, connect, and be shared with wider audiences.”
Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director of Art Dubai Group, added, “The Dubai Collection’s programme at Art Dubai offers audiences the opportunity to encounter modern and contemporary art from the region that is usually held in private collections. The presentation reflects the Collection’s focus on the intricate realities of artistic practice in the region and the relationships that shape it. Alongside Made Forward, the programme includes opportunities to meet and hear from leading voices across the cultural sector, and we look forward to welcoming audiences this week.”
Exhibition curator Jumanah Abbas is offering daily in-depth tours of the exhibition, and cultural enthusiasts will have the opportunity to visit the Dubai-based studio of Dubai Collection artist Hazem Harb.
The Programme (Friday 15 May – Sunday 17 May):
| Friday 15 May – Sunday 17 May 3pm | Daily public tours with exhibition curator Jumanah Abbas |
| Friday 15 May 10:00 am – 11:00 am | Artist Studio Visit: Visit with Dubai Collection artist, Hazem Harb, whose practice explores memory and archival histories through layered works, offering insight into his process and works in progress. |
| Saturday 16 May 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Corporate Collection Visit: H Residence by A.R.M. Holding: An exclusive visit to Dubai Collection Corporate Patron, A.R.M. Holding Art Collection at H Residence, offering insight into its evolving vision and approach to corporate patronage. |
| Sunday 17 May 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm | Dubai Collection Talks Panel Discussion: Curator’s Corner Curator’s Corner offers students, artists, and cultural practitioners a closer look at the research and decision-making behind exhibitions. This session brings Suheyla Takesh, Director of the Barjeel Art Foundation, and Jumanah Abba, exhibition curator, into conversation on curatorial practice – how themes are developed, works are selected, and narratives are shaped – creating a space for exchange, questions, and future collaborations across the community. Panel Discussion: Intergenerational Memory and the Archive Considers how cultural memory is preserved and carried forward in the UAE and across the region. Bringing together perspectives from academia, family heritage, and philanthropy, the panel explores the archive as a space for preservation, identity, and legacy – one that connects personal histories with wider regional narratives, and the present moment with generations to come. Speakers: Nada Shabout, art historian; Mariam Al Falasi, founder of Iris Projects; Medha Nanda, artist and Founder of Art Be a Part. Moderator: Myrna Ayad, author and cultural strategist |
Inspired by Dubai Collection’s 2026 theme, Mapping Memories: Landscapes in Flux and Geometries of the Imagination, Dubai Collection’s events at Art Dubai are designed to bring the public closer to the diverse narratives, aesthetic approaches, and cultural perspectives represented in Dubai’s first institutional collection of modern and contemporary art.
Launched in 2021 by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Dubai Collection is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, and runs in partnership with Art Dubai Group. The Collection is built on a unique model that gathers artwork from private collections based in Dubai and the wider region, through an independent selection process led by a committee of experts.
For further information about the Dubai Collection and to register to attend the Dubai Collection at Art Dubai events, visit dubaicollection.ae