THE ART CIRCLE
دائرة الفن
NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER
DECEMBER
2026
ART IS NOT A LUXURY
History shows that during difficult days, art becomes necessary as an act of resilience and provides people with a space to breathe, reflect and reconnect with one another.
The best example to witness this feeling is the trip organized by the Art Circle to visit Al Ain museum during moments of tension and uncertainty of the future.
When the desert starts to take over you feel a mix of emotions , mental reset, freedom , peace & serenity.
The series of art events conducted during this period from a webinar to a guided tour to view the Picasso exhibition at the Louvre museum, to a trip to Maraya at Sharjah to Al Serkal in Dubai, are powerful messages to prove that life continues,creativity survives and people refuse to surrender to fear.
Art events create spaces for collective healing and emotional wellbeing. Creativity becomes stronger under pressure because the artist responds to the emotional and social realities surrounding them.
Maintaining artistic and cultural life is definitely not a luxury, it is a reminder that even in crisis , art and artists continue to thrive looking for a better future, and art becomes the best medicine for emotions.
This is the noble role of The Art Circle.
Hoda Chahine
Treasurer & Founding Member
NYUAD ART GALLERY
“ALL MANNER OF EXPERIMENTS: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group”
Private Tour
9 September 2026
11am
CULTURAL FOUNDATION
“SKIN OF DREAMS” by SHEZAD DAWOOD
Private Tour
17 September 2026
1pm
Skin of Dreams is a major exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Shezad Dawood, whose multidisciplinary practice explores themes of identity, memory, ecology, migration, and the interconnected histories that shape our world.
Through film, painting, textiles, sculpture, and immersive installations, the exhibition invites visitors into a poetic and thought-provoking journey where personal narratives intersect with collective histories. Blending contemporary art with cultural research and storytelling, Dawood's work challenges conventional boundaries and encourages new perspectives on belonging, transformation, and the future.
A DAY IN DUBAI
Private tour of L’Ambassade with Curator Viktoriya Melny & Pieter Vermeersch at Perrotin Gallery: Exhibition Preview & meeting with the artist
September 30th
1:00 PM
MONOCHROMA 2 - BLACK & WHITE
Private Tour in the presence of some of the artists
2 October 2026
10:00 am
Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi
Ceramics exhibition by Double J Collective Gallery in partnership with DCT Abu Dhabi.
The second edition of the MONOCHROMA project brings together emerging and established artists through a shared monochromatic approach to contemporary ceramics.
Featuring works created and fired in the UAE, the exhibition explores the expressive possibilities of black and white, highlighting the interplay of form, texture, light and shadow.
Double J Collective is a Dubai-based contemporary art gallery advancing material-led practices from the Gulf and beyond. It unites global artists exploring material intelligence and cultural narratives, balancing curatorial depth with market relevance, while fostering inclusivity, sustainability, and dialogue through exhibitions that challenge traditional art–craft hierarchies.
ALSERKAL
Private tour of the Galleries
7 October 2026
11:00 am
Our usual visit to the Avenue always promises great shows and inspiring art visits.
On this tour, we will have the pleasure to visit Aisha Alabbar gallery for the solo of Bénédicte Gimonnet, winner of the first edition of The Art Circle Award.
PARIS | Art trip
18th to 24th October 2026
This year, we are pleased to organize an art trip to Paris from October 18 to 24, 2026.
Our focus will be on meeting artists from the MENASA region who are currently based in Paris, offering a unique opportunity to engage with their work and perspectives.
A detailed program will be shared with you shortly.
THE ART CIRCLE AWARD 2026
Opening ceremony and unveiling of the Winner at Alserkal Avenue
11th November 2026
7:00pm
The TAC Award returns for its 6th edition under the theme: “On mending”
In a world that is becoming increasingly broken, what does it mean to mend a city, a body, a people, a planet, especially as the breaking continues to rage on?Mending is not restoration, nor is it the total act of repair.
The TAC Award is an initiative by The Art Circle that supports the local art scene by highlighting and celebrating a different artist each year.
Mending admits that it can never erase a wound, nor does it pretend that the breakage never occurred. It is the act of remaining present inside destruction and making something—a stitch, a mark, a colour, a form—that insists on continuity. Mending is both an act of love and an act of resistance.
Artists are invited to respond to the idea of mending in its widest sense: the personal and the political, the intimate and the collective, the rupture that emits a story, the scar that becomes a map, the fragment that evokes a whole.
FREEZE | ABU DHABI ART FAIR
Private Tour
Dates: 20-22 Nov
Details to follow about our function
The highly anticipated Abu Dhabi Art Fair returns, transforming the capital into a vibrant meeting point for the international art world.
This year’s edition welcomes 140 galleries from 35 countries and 50 cities, including, for the very first time, galleries from Côte d’Ivoire, The Netherlands, and Tanzania, alongside 51 debut exhibitors in Abu Dhabi.
More than an art fair, the event offers a unique cultural experience through curated exhibitions, artist commissions, immersive installations, and exceptional artworks available for acquisition.
A true celebration of contemporary art, Frieze Abu Dhabi brings together artists, collectors, and institutions, fostering dialogue, discovery, and cultural exchange at the heart of the UAE.
TANWEER FESTIVAL
Private function
23rd November 2026
Mleiha - Sharjah
Details to follow
By harnessing the transformative power of music, Tanweer Festival deepens understanding of diverse cultures, heritage, creativity, and wisdom from around the world. Tanweer Festival provides a platform where musical expression can connect different cultures and religions, promoting acceptance, understanding, appreciation, respect, and peace. Where words fail, music speaks!
Letter from Amandine Hammari
Dear Members,
At first glance, nothing would have naturally destined me for the art world. I did not grow up in a family of collectors or art connoisseurs, nor within a particularly artistic environment. And yet, from a very young age, art and craftsmanship represented a form of refuge for me — a quiet world of beauty, sensitivity and imagination that deeply resonated with who I was.
Amandine Hammari
TAC member in Abu Dhabi