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16 Jun 2025
The art scene in the UAE is endlessly rich and full of surprises. Every artist here is pouring their energy into creating something beautiful, pushing boundaries and adding their own touch to the creative landscape. When it comes to UAE local artists, there is always something new to discover — so many unique voices shaping the scene. You could spend ages exploring all the talent this country has to offer, from established names to the rising stars among emerging artists, the UAE continues to nurture. The list of names just keeps growing.
We’ve picked seven artists to highlight for now, but this is just a starting point. Every day brings new discoveries, new works, and fresh stories about UAE local artists and the incredible people shaping the UAE’s art world. We will definitely keep sharing more about both established and emerging artists the UAE has to offer. Stay tuned — this is only the beginning.
Nasir Nasrallah
As both an artist and a curator, Nasir Nasrallah has a real knack for experimenting and bringing together all kinds of materials — whether it is physical objects, new ideas, or even abstract concepts. He is one of those UAE local artists whose work feels deeply personal, shaped by the places he has been and the people he has met along the way. He finds inspiration in the everyday things he collects — tiny toys, little consumer items, all those small discoveries, which often end up woven into his art in the most unexpected ways.
Not long ago, Nasir took part in the exhibition Naseej: Threads of Hope at the BEEAH Headquarters. The show brought together nine carpets, each one designed by an artist and woven by women artisans from Kabul, Afghanistan. Nasir’s piece, The Wandering Family, wasn’t just a single carpet — it was a series of five character-based rugs that together form a symbolic family.
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"The Wandering Family Artwork" by Nasir Nasrallah / Naseej: Threads of Hope
One of our favourite projects of his is Forgotten Address, where he gathered a hundred objects from his daily life and tucked each one into an identical envelope. Such a simple idea, but somehow it perfectly captures that feeling of memory, routine, and the little mysteries we carry with us every day.
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Mariam Alrefai
Mary Alre (Mariam Alrefai) is a talented graphic designer and illustrator based in the UAE. Her creative journey began back in 2010, when she started experimenting with Photoshop at just 11 years old. Since then, Mary has built an impressive portfolio, bringing bold ideas and fresh perspectives to every project.
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Mary’s practice spans branding, editorial illustration, and book design, with a focus on visual storytelling that truly leaves a mark. Just take a look at her website to see the beauty she creates — her work is always fresh and original, whether it is digital illustrations inspired by her love of Arabic literature or engaging books and infographic booklets (like The Sacrifice of Mice). She is easily one of those UAE local artists truly shaping the country’s visual culture.
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Alia Hussain Lootah
Alia Hussain Lootah is an Emirati artist and co-founder of Medaf Studio in Dubai, a space all about creative self-expression. Her work is deeply rooted in themes of motherhood and the connection between mother and child, often brought to life through sculpture.
You have probably come across her eye-catching wire sculptures, made using her own innovative knitting technique. As she told GRAZIA: “I started creating these sculptures by knitting them in aluminium and attaching them together in different shapes and sizes. After that, I noticed the interesting shadows they cast and wanted to capture those forms in my work.”
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Nadine Ghandour
Nadine Ghandour is an artist who moves effortlessly between drawing, writing, and sculpture — a standout among UAE local artists of her generation (and beyond). As she puts it, her work is all about unstable architecture and constantly shifting spaces — buildings that almost feel like they are trapping the people inside. Nadine is fascinated by what it is like to live in cities that change at breakneck speed, and how that shapes the way we think and feel. She loves dreaming up fictional characters, experimenting with strange lighting, and diving headfirst into surreal, sometimes absurd realities.
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"Rooms for Error", 2022, Nadine Ghandour. Photo: Steven Maybury
Her first solo show in the UAE, Rooms for Error, took place at Bayt AlMamzar earlier this year — and it really does feel like a window into Nadine’s world. The exhibition explores our complicated (and at times, absurd) relationship with the built environment, reflecting on everyday life and the curious ways people move through the cities they call home. She is one of the emerging artists UAE is watching closely.
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"Rooms for Error", 2022, Nadine Ghandour. Photo: Steven Maybury
Shaikha Al Mazrou
Shaikha Al Mazrou is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic and promising UAE local artists.
Recently, she installed five red reflective discs in the mountains of Hatta — almost as if they had been placed there by time itself. This installation, titled Deliberate Pauses, is Shaikha Al Mazrou’s work and stands as the largest of its kind in Dubai. Commissioned by Dubai Culture and Alserkal Arts Foundation, these discs are meant to do exactly what their name suggests: invite wanderers to stop, reflect, and reconnect with the land beneath their feet.
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Fatma Al Ali
Fatma Al Ali is an artist who has never limited herself to a single medium — her practice moves easily between drawing, video, sculpture, and installation. Much of her work grows out of a fascination with history, stories from the Gulf, and the ways we collect and remember.
Fatma is known for digging into archives and oral histories, blending scholarly curiosity with a deeply personal take on materials, memory, and how we perceive the world around us. She is an important name among both established and emerging artists UAE celebrates.
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"The house shelters the daydreamer", 2023, Fatma Al Ali
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim is one of the pioneers of contemporary art in the UAE, emerging in the late 1980s. His practice is inseparable from the landscape of Khorfakkan, where he grew up between the Gulf of Oman and the Hajar Mountains — a place that continues to shape everything he creates. You see that connection everywhere in his work: whether it is in his installations, his hand-crafted objects, or his drawings, there is always a sense of the land and the passage of time.
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But what hits you first is the sheer brightness and energy of his art. Just look at those bold, textured sculptures in vibrant yellow and green, or the canvases absolutely buzzing with electric patterns and bursts of orange. Every piece feels alive — his colours leap off the surface and pull you straight into a world of playful symbols and rhythmic, meditative marks. Ibrahim’s palette is never shy, always joyful and direct, making his work instantly recognisable and impossible to ignore.
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His sculptures look almost ancient, like artefacts or fragments of nature that have just been uncovered, rather than newly created. Mohamed is a guiding force for UAE local artists, inspiring new generations of emerging artists UAE-wide.
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