February is shaping up to be a strong month for art across the UAE, with museum retrospectives, thoughtful solo shows, and community-led exhibitions unfolding across the emirates. From global masters to regional voices, here is what to have on your radar this month.
Louvre Abu Dhabi presents a major exhibition exploring Pablo Picasso’s lifelong engagement with the human figure. Spanning early influences through to his most radical experiments, the show traces how the body became a site of constant reinvention. Paintings, drawings and sculptures reveal shifts in form, proportion and perspective, offering insight into Picasso’s restless approach to representation. Thoughtfully curated and supported by significant loans, the exhibition is a rare must-see curation of iconic artworks.
When: January 21 to May 31, 2026
Where: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
This expansive retrospective of Chilean artist Jorge Tacla brings together more than 170 works spanning decades of practice. Installed across Sharjah Art Foundation’s Al Mureijah Square spaces, the exhibition examines memory, trauma and architecture through Tacla’s distinctive painting language. His works often feel suspended between construction and collapse, drawing viewers into layered surfaces shaped by history and loss. The scale of the exhibition encourages a slow, attentive visit, allowing connections to emerge across rooms and series.
When: February 8 to June 7, 2026
Where: Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah
Art Umm Al Quwain returns with a programme centred on the emirate’s relationship with nature and the sea. The exhibition blends visual presentations with hands-on activities, inviting visitors to engage directly with coastal heritage and environmental knowledge. Mangrove walks, pearl-related workshops, and site-specific installations create a layered experience that extends beyond gallery walls. Set against Umm Al Quwain’s natural landscape, the exhibition offers a more grounded encounter with art.
When: February 13 to 16, 2026
Where: Casa Mikoko, Umm Al Quwain Mangrove Reserve
Marking Warehouse 421’s tenth anniversary, this group exhibition reflects on a decade of artistic growth in the UAE. Featuring video, installation, performance and multimedia works, the show examines how artists and collectives have shaped the country’s cultural ecosystem. The exhibition examines ongoing relationships among artists, institutions, and communities, questioning how these connections evolve over time.
When: Until April 26, 2026
Where: Warehouse 421, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi
This exhibition explores the practice of pioneering Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, whose work is deeply connected to the landscape of Khor Fakkan. Through painting and sculpture, Ibrahim draws on the colours, textures and forms of his surroundings, often using natural materials directly within his work. Pieces such as Fresh and Salt highlight this physical relationship to place, while earlier works trace shifts in light and time. Presented at the Cultural Foundation, the exhibition offers insight into an intuitive, process-driven practice rooted in observation and continuity.
When: Until February 22, 2026
Where: Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation
This solo exhibition by Abu Dhabi-based multidisciplinary artist Shamsa Al Omaira explores themes of duality, memory and emotional vulnerability. Drawing on references such as childhood bedding and familiar desserts, the works initially appear soft and comforting before revealing elements of risk through glass, ceramic and sharp materials. Developed through a year-long mentorship with curator Nadine Khalil, the exhibition reflects a period of experimentation and growth in Al Omaira’s practice. The result is an emotionally layered body of work that balances intimacy with unease.
When: Until April 30, 2026
Where: Iris Projects at MiZa, Port Zayed, Abu Dhabi
Set within a historic heritage house in Kalba, this exhibition brings together works by prominent Emirati artists, including Abdulrahim Salem and Najat Makki. The exhibition explores memory, nostalgia, and cultural continuity, featuring artworks that evoke earlier times. The setting itself plays a role, as the house carries historical weight, having been built at the turn of the twentieth century. Together, the works and the space create a quiet dialogue between past and present, inviting reflection on how heritage continues to shape contemporary identity.
When: Until May 31, 2026
Where: Bait Sheikh Saeed bin Hamad Al Qasimi, Kalba, Sharjah
