The Arts Club Dubai is pleased to present the residency exhibitions of its 2025–2026 Artist Residency Programme, marking the culmination of its inaugural edition.

Opening from , 18 th May, the exhibitions feature newly commissioned bodies of work by resident artists Salmah Almansoori and Sylvia Ong, installed on the Second Floor Stairway Landing. Titled Silent Narratives and Inscape respectively, the exhibitions respond to the curatorial theme Singular Focus, a considered exploration of restraint and clarity in an age of excess.

Marking the culmination of six months of funding, mentorship, and creative exploration, the exhibitions reflect the artists’ engagement with the theme under the guidance of a distinguished advisory committee of curators, collectors, and artists.

Inscape by Sylvia Ong unfolds as a series of paintings that explore the translation of sound, memory, and emotion into visual rhythm. Each work holds a quiet intensity, inviting the viewer into a contemplative space shaped by tone, gesture, and subtle variation. The paintings propose a slower mode of looking, offering a measured counterpoint to the pace of contemporary visual culture.

Through Silent Narratives, Salmah Almansoori transforms overlooked objects and fragments of everyday life into layered visual compositions. Each work becomes both documentation and transformation, an archive of memory shaped through expressionist abstraction, where the boundaries between drawing and painting, past and present, begin to dissolve. Translating memory, time, and place into contemplative frames, the works invite viewers to pause and reflect on the subtle intersections of objects, environment, and human experience.

Additionally, After Returning, an oil and oil bar on canvas by Sylvia Ong has been revealed as the recipient of The Arts Club Residency Prize. The awarded artwork is now a part of the club’s own permanent collection; whilst all other artworks presented at the exhibitions were available to members through a silent auction, with 100 percent of proceeds allocated directly to the artists, without commission or administrative deduction.

The Arts Club Dubai extends its appreciation to the residency committee and mentors for their guidance and commitment in shaping the programme. Their contribution has been integral to supporting the artists’ development and ensuring the depth and integrity of the residency experience.

The Artist Residency Programme at The Arts Club Dubai is conceived as a platform for sustained artistic growth, offering emerging practitioners time, support, and visibility. It reflects the Club’s broader commitment to cultivating meaningful relationships between artists and audiences, and to supporting artistic practices beyond the moment of exhibition.