We have talked about the major art events taking place across the UAE this season countless times — Sikka Art Fair, RAK Art, Alserkal Art Week, and the upcoming Art Dubai (with even more coverage on the way) — and for good reason. These are key moments on the cultural calendar and well worth your time.

That said, when the spotlight is on the big names, it is often the smaller, more intimate exhibitions that get overlooked — despite being just as deserving of attention. So, to make sure you don’t miss something you will later wish you would seen, here are the Dubai exhibitions worth paying attention to this February.

Where? Gulf Photo Plus January 24 – April 3

This photography exhibition at Alserkal Avenue brings together a thoughtfully curated group of Fujifilm Creators based in the UAE. Featuring 12 artists in total, the show is united by a shared set of tools, yet each photographer brings a completely different voice and perspective. The lineup spans emerging talents just finding their footing, alongside more established names with a long-standing and distinctive practice.

A few of the artists to look out for:

These are just three of the 12 photographers featured — and a good indication of the diversity and depth you can expect to see throughout the exhibition.

Where? Ayyam Gallery January 17 – March 18

Ayyam Gallery, long known for championing contemporary Middle Eastern artists, is currently presenting Remnants by Kais Salman, a Syrian artist whose visual language has evolved significantly over time.

Salman’s early influences stem from classical Arabic art, but his practice has gradually shifted towards more abstract, textured compositions. At the core of his work are themes of memory, displacement, and conflict — unsurprising, given that the artist is originally from Damascus and has lived through much of what his work quietly reflects.

Rather than addressing these experiences directly, Salman works through suggestion. His abstract figures carry subtle traces — scarred surfaces, eroded faces, and vague, half-formed shapes — hinting at loss and remembrance without ever becoming explicit.

In Remnants, Salman continues this exploration, focusing on the emotional residue of war and migration, as well as the interplay between personal and collective history within the context of conflict.

Where? Ishara Art Foundation January 16 – May 31

Before diving into the exhibition itself, it helps to take a step back.

Urdu is a South Asian language most commonly associated with Pakistan and India, where it is widely spoken and deeply embedded in everyday cultural life. This idea sits at the heart of Urdu Worlds, curated by Hammad Nasar, which brings together two artists whose relationships with the language come from very different life experiences.

Ali Kazim, born in Pakistan, sees Urdu as something rooted in place and land — a language closely tied to geography and lived experience. Zarina, born in India and later relocating to New York, encountered Urdu in a very different way: as a sense of home shaped by migration and displacement.

Two artists, two countries, two very different life paths. For one, Urdu is home; for the other, it becomes a companion shaped by movement and loss. This contrast offers a layered, deeply personal way of looking at language as part of culture. In the exhibition, Urdu is presented not just as a means of communication, but as something that shapes memory, identity, belonging, and inner life — where feeling matters as much as storytelling.

The exhibition also touches on questions of power and politics, exploring how language can shape ideas of belonging and exclusion.

Where? Green Art Gallery January 17 – May 18

Asma Belhamar is an Emirati artist whose drawings and sculptural works — made from clay, ceramic tiles, wood, and 3D-printed elements — are on view at Green Art Gallery until March.

The exhibition is inspired by a small courtyard in a traditional Emirati house — a much-loved memory from Asma’s childhood. It was part of her family home, and for a long time the adults weren’t quite sure what to do with the unfinished space. The children, on the other hand, had no such doubts. Using leftover building materials, they turned it into a playground and built their own little world. What looked ordinary to everyone else became something quietly magical for the kids, through play and imagination.

That same feeling runs through the exhibition. This isn’t a show you simply walk through and observe — Asma invites visitors to engage with the work: to touch it, move it, sit with it, and let their imagination wander, much like we all did as children.

The works themselves carry a warm, sun-washed quality, inspired by the buildings Asma noticed on her evening walks, as well as the faded tones of old family photo albums. Sitting somewhere between furniture and architecture, the pieces don’t quite belong to either — creating a space that feels familiar and playful.

Where? Jameel Arts Centre Until March 8

For those who follow contemporary art closely, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook is a familiar name. A Thai artist, writer, and professor, she is one of Southeast Asia’s most respected contemporary practitioners, with a career spanning more than four decades.

This exhibition marks her first major two-city presentation, shown at Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum. It brings together works that reflect the depth and emotional range of her long-standing practice.

At the heart of the exhibition are two recurring elements: the bouquet and the bed. Araya explores the contradictions held within both. A bouquet of flowers can symbolise love, celebration, and friendship — yet it is just as closely linked to funerals and loss. A bed suggests rest, intimacy, and comfort, but it is also associated with illness and death. Neither is purely positive or negative; instead, they reflect the reality that joy and sorrow are often inseparable parts of life, moving from one to the other.

While the exhibition runs for several months, mid-February brings a special moment. On February 14 a roundtable discussion will bring together curators, artists, and critics, alongside the launch of the first major monograph dedicated to Araya’s four-decade career — a rare chance to look back at the full scope of her work.

Where? Lawrie Shabibi January 17 – April 3

The title of the exhibition comes from the poem Invisible Fish by Joy Harjo, which traces cycles of transformation across land, water, and time. Azzuz draws on the same idea, reflecting on a period before modern cities in the UAE existed — when the sea held a very different meaning, shaping coastal life and providing sustenance for communities.

Water sits at the centre of the exhibition. Everything is connected through the UAE’s marine landscape: some works reference traditional fishing culture, while others are more specific, drawing inspiration from fish found in local waters. Instead of painting fish directly, Azzuz focuses on enlarged patterns — scales, textures, and skin — transforming marine life into abstract surfaces linked to memory, movement, and survival.