Things to Do in the UAE This Week: 19 to 25 October 2026
Discover seven art and design experiences to enjoy across the UAE from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 October 2026, from exhibitions at Louvre Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Art Foundation to Dubai Fashion Week and creative workshops.
Luisa Dörr, Zoila and Iuzkani, Teuchitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, 2024. From 'Escaramuzas', 2024–ongoing. Image courtesy of the artist
Looking for a little creative inspiration this week?
From a new exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi to contemporary photography in Sharjah, hands-on art workshops and the return of Dubai Fashion Week, there is plenty to add to your cultural calendar.
Here are seven art and design experiences to explore across the UAE...
Vantage Point 13
Location: Photography Gallery, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah
Dates: 8 August to 29 November 2026
Photography takes centre stage in this group exhibition featuring newly commissioned work by six artists. Through documentary photography and distinctive visual narratives, Vantage Point 13 invites visitors to reconsider how images shape our understanding of people, places and the world around us.
Visit: sharjahart.org
Taking Form by Rana Begum
Location: The Third Line, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
Dates: 23 September to 10 November 2026
Explore a new body of work by artist Rana Begum, whose practice investigates the relationship between colour, geometry, light and material. Working across textiles, wood, linen and paper, the exhibition invites visitors to consider how forms and colours shift in perception as they move through the gallery.
Visit: thethirdline.com
Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean
Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
Dates: 14 October 2026 to 14 February 2027
Explore 1,000 years of maritime history through an exhibition tracing the routes that connected the civilizations of Africa, Asia, and beyond. Discover how spices, ideas, and cultures travelled across the Indian Ocean, shaping connections between distant shores.
Visit: louvreabudhabi.ae
Dubai Fashion Week SS27
Location: Dubai Design District (d3), Duba
Dates: Thursday 22 to Monday 26 October 2026
The fashion calendar returns to Dubai with the Spring/Summer 2027 edition of Dubai Fashion Week. Bringing designers, industry figures and fashion enthusiasts together, the event offers a chance to discover new collections, emerging talent and the creative direction shaping the region’s fashion scene.
Visit: dubaifashionweek.org
Bodies that Make, Bodies that Grieve
Location: NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Project Space, Abu Dhabi
Dates: 22 October to 13 December 2026
Discover contemporary ceramics by eight women artists based in the UAE in this exhibition curated by Shafeena Yusuff Ali. Bringing together artists whose practices are rooted in the Global South, the showcase explores the relationship between the body, clay and emotion. Through works shaped by touch, making and breaking, the exhibition invites visitors to consider ceramics as a form of expression and a way of exploring inner life, care and women’s knowledge.
Visit: nyu.edu
My Land, My Sea, My Sky: Cyanotype Workshop
Location: Ishara Art Foundation and Gulf Photo Plus, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
Date: Saturday 24 October, 4pm to 8pm
Get hands-on with cyanotype printing in this free creative workshop exploring the relationship between image-making, memory and landscape. Participants can join guided exhibition tours, create blue-toned collages and make their own handmade publication to take home. Advance registration is required, with only 10 places available.
Visit: gulfphotoplus.com
Sound of Stones by Studio Vonza
Location: Jossa, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
Dates: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, 10am to 10pm
Discover the unexpected relationship between sound and jewellery in this exhibition conceived by Nourhan and Mahynour Sawa of Studio Vonza. Featuring more than 100 pieces, the showcase includes a sculptural ring inspired by recordings of jewellery making. Visitors can also have their own frequency measured and mapped onto a pinky ring.
Visit: studiovonza.bureau