ABU DHABI.- 421 Arts Campus, the independent arts platform in Abu Dhabi dedicated to supporting emerging artists and creative practitioners from the UAE and the wider Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region, celebrates its ten-year anniversary on November 15, 2025.

Over the past decade, 421 has supported more than 1,500 emerging creative practitioners, presented over 50 exhibitions ranging from solo presentations to group and traveling shows, and commissioned hundreds of new works across visual art, design, performance, and writing. The institution has delivered around 2,000 impactful programs across residencies, grants and exhibitions, alongside various public programs from talks to workshops, film screenings, symposia, and special events, while training and mentoring more than 60 interns and creative facilitators. In addition, 421 has worked with over 250 regional designers through Dukkan421, its design store and platform dedicated to supporting and highlighting artists with design-led practices. Together, these efforts have engaged thousands of creatives and participants, shaping 421 into a vital hub for emergent creative practices. Together, these efforts have engaged thousands of creatives and participants, shaping 421 into a vital hub for emergent creative practices. Its anniversary season opens with the landmark exhibition Rays, Ripples, Residue (Nov 1, 2025–Apr 26, 2026).

As the UAE’s art scene continues to grow—propelled by major cultural institutions, art fairs, and a robust art market—independent platforms are playing an increasingly crucial role in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable cultural landscape. Since its founding, 421 has established itself as a cornerstone of this ecosystem, championing a community-led model that places process, participation, and experimentation at its core. Through its commissioning programs, the platform invests in capability-building, research, and long-term support for emerging artists and cultural practitioners.

Through its year-round programming and core initiatives, including the Artistic Residency Program, Artistic and Curatorial Development Programs, and the Artistic Research Grant, 421 has become a home for rigorous experimentation, collaborative inquiry, and artist-first practices that continue to define the next generation of cultural voices in the region.

421 Arts Campus has opened doors, unlocked opportunities and equipped artists and creative practitioners with the skills, experience, and platforms to advance their careers—strengthening the UAE’s talent pipeline and the wider arts ecosystem. Serving as a launchpad for talent, 421 has supported artists transition from early career stages to regional biennials, international residencies, and established gallery representation. Examples include Maitha Abdullah, Alla Abdunabi, Ammar Al Attar, Salem AlSuwaidi, Nasser Alzayani, Asma Belhamar, Fatima Belkis and Onur Gokmen, Vikram Divecha, Hashel Al Lamki, Moza Al Matrooshi, Engy Mohsen, Augustine Paredes, Mahshid Rafiei, Nahla Tabbaa, and Asim Waqif, among others. 421 has also supported curators such as Meitha Almazrouei, Ritika Biswas, Mona Jadir, Lina Ramadan, Sara Bin Safwan, Dima Srouji, Faysal Tabbarah, and Kayfa Ta (Ala Younis and Maha Maamoun); designers such as Rasha Dakkak and Dina Khorshid; and design collectives including 100/100 Best Arabic Posters and The Looming Council.

Faisal Al Hassan, Director of 421 comments: “At 421 Arts Campus, we believe emerging voices are vital. Over the past decade, we have nurtured emerging creative practitioners and supported those harnessing the arts as an agent for social inquiry and transformation. Their work ignites new ways of thinking, questions the status quo, and opens space to reimagine how we live, connect, and create. We are deeply grateful to our community, from artists and curators to peer institutions, arts professionals, and all our stakeholders, whose support has been essential to our journey. Looking ahead, we will carry forward the lessons learned, remain responsive to the needs of our community, and continue creating space for bold, transformative ideas.”

Fall programming highlight

The season launches with Rays, Ripples, Residue, a landmark exhibition curated by Munira Al Sayegh, Nadine Khalil, and Murtaza Vali. Featuring video, performance, installation, and multimedia works, the exhibition explores how artistic practices and exhibition-making in the UAE have evolved over the past decade, while also looking ahead to possible futures. Framed through three curatorial perspectives, the exhibition engages with time as a central theme—from the past to the present and future—revisiting pivotal moments, examining the current landscape, and testing new ideas for the next chapter of art in the region.

Leading to the Middle—curated by Munira Al Sayegh

Artists: Tarek Al-Ghoussein; Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Bait 15, Adele Bea Cipste; Khaled Esguerra; Lamya Gargash; and Auguste Nomeikaite.

Ghosts of Arrival—curated by Nadine Khalil

Artists: Tarek Al-Ghoussein; Hashel Al Lamki; Mona Ayyash and Nadine Ghandour; Lucinda Childs; Maria Daher, Sarah Daher, and Cristalina Parra; Bait Juma; Sara Naim; and Isaac Sullivan.

SUN™—curated by Murtaza Vali

Artists: Charbel-joseph H. Boutros; Khalid Jauffer; Raja'a Khalid; Nima Nabavi; Pratchaya Phinthong, Sa Tahanan Co. (Preschelle Ann Bigueras, Alexandra Chaves, Niño Consorte, Bernice delos Reyes, John Gatapia, Bala Ochangco, Augustine Paredes, Nicolas Roa, Mox Santos); Shazia Salam; Lantian Xie.