Catastrophe: Empire, displacement issues at Bady Dalloul's Jameel Arts Centre show

Art Jameel, the organisation that supports artists and creative communities, presents 'Self-portrait with a cat I don't have', the first institutional solo exhibition in the UAE by multimedia artist Bady Dalloul (Sept. 20 - Feb. 22, 2026).

- Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

To go live at Jameel Arts Centre, hailed as Dubai's hub for contemporary art and ideas, the exhibition weaves autobiographical anecdotes with intimate stories of Dalloul's life, repurposing everyday materials to explore topics of identity, migration and the intersection of personal memory and global politics. To mark the exhibition's opening, a public talk will take place at 4 pm on September 20 at Jameel Arts Centre, featuring the artist in conversation with Art Jameel Senior Curator Lucas Morin; independent researcher, curator and writer Mizuho Yamazaki; artist Ala Younis; and publisher/bookmaker, Ahmad Makia. A family workshop at Jameel Arts Centre II am - 4 pm on September 27, is a special interactive session open for all ages that draws from Dalloul's inventive approach to storytelling, memory and imaginative use of everyday materials.