The contemporary art landscape of the United Arab Emirates has long been defined by its ability to accommodate convergence, a space where people from different walks of life meet in an ever-evolving citysphere to collaborate and create. At the Rizq Art Initiative (RAi), the latest exhibition titled Under the Same Sky captures this very idea. Conceptualised by Chief Curator Meena Vari, the show serves as a poetic, layered mapping of a nation shaped by continual arrival and departure. It brings together Emirati practitioners alongside artists from diverse global backgrounds who currently call the UAE home, exploring how a shared presence in the country shapes noteworthy creative outputs.
Rather than enforcing a singular narrative, the exhibition allows each artist to respond to a personal yet significant prompt drawn from the local environment, be it an everyday gesture, a geographic material, or a fleeting moment in time. The resulting works offer an ongoing interplay between lived experience and artistic practice that allows for introspection. For instance, Emirati artist Maitha Al Omaira uses cyanotypes to capture the restless nature of the ghaf tree, while Karine Roche uses geometric weaving to map the facades and flame tree flowers of Abu Dhabi. Through textiles, photography and mixed media, the participants navigate a society defined by movement while remaining attentive to their own ancestral lineages.
The collection ultimately functions as a living portrait of the modern identity. “The show is a reminder that the UAE’s enduring strength has always been its capacity to hold many histories, languages and memories under one sky, highlighting the depth of belonging that exists within our communities,” notes Shafeena Yusuff Ali, Founder and Executive Director of RAi. The exhibition features 20 different artists enabling it to showcase the several facets of life in the UAE. Under the Same Sky will run until 31 July at the Rizq Art Gallery on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi.
