As Dubai prepares to host ISEA2026 this November, Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design & Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, discusses the importance of making culture more accessible.

For Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, the future of culture in Dubai is about more than bringing audiences into galleries, museums and established creative spaces. It is about ensuring that culture can be encountered across the city, connecting people with ideas, communities and one another in ways that feel relevant to daily life.

“Culture should be accessible and inclusive,” says Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design & Literature Sector at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. “It should create connections between communities, disciplines and perspectives.”

That philosophy will come into focus this November with ISEA2026, the 31st International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art, taking place from November 6 to 15.

In partnership with Dubai Culture and Zayed University, the programme will bring together artists, researchers, academics and technologists through workshops, panels, networking sessions and creative showcases. Its academic programme will run online, while the artistic programme will unfold across different locations in Dubai.

For Al Suwaidi, that citywide approach is key. “When cultural experiences extend across a city, they can reach people beyond established cultural audiences,” she explains. Familiar spaces can become places to encounter unexpected artworks, immersive experiences or new forms of creative expression, allowing culture to become something people discover rather than deliberately seek out.

ISEA2026 also reflects the ambitions of Dubai Culture’s DC33 strategy, which aims to strengthen the city’s creative ecosystem and expand its position within global cultural conversations.

“ISEA2026 is fundamentally about connection,” Al Suwaidi says, describing the exchange between artists and audiences, researchers and practitioners, and global perspectives and local communities.

She sees those connections as equally important for Dubai’s creative industries, creating opportunities for collaboration and dialogue that can continue well beyond the symposium itself.

“When culture belongs to everyone,” she says, “the city itself can become a place for discovery, creativity and connection.”

ISEA2026 takes place from November 6 to 15, 2026.