The tall, glowing structures appear to grow from the ground. Organically curved, they almost look like lanterns in the way they emit a soft, warm hue. This makes sense, because we’re looking at AlZaina Lootah’s Whispers of the Desert sculptures at the second annual Dhai Dubai Light Art Festival. This year’s theme, Light Influences Life, formed a creative lens, inviting artists to explore illumination beyond the physical.
At just 24 years old, AlZaina is among the standout voices of the 2025 edition, which took place at Expo City in November. The Emirati architect and multidisciplinary designer was one of the youngest creatives commissioned this year.
Her installation, inspired by her grandfather’s personal archives, is a multi-sensory ode to the UAE’s rich heritage. Indeed, for her, light is more than a medium. It presents a way of telling an origin story.
“The moment I heard the theme, I thought of the journey of us as humans – how we’re created, how we begin, and how we move from darkness into light,” AlZaina reflects. “It’s a source of power, our inner strength. And we are the people who carry light within our society.” This premise became the foundation for her Dhai Dubai installation, which she describes as “an experience, a ritual visitors move toward, are submerged within, or simply witness”.
At the heart of the work is AlZaina’s deeply personal source material – her grandfather’s photographic archives. The young artist had always sensed that these images held something special, but it wasn’t until she revisited them last year that she understood their magnitude.
“There was a connection I felt immediately,” she says. “He saw things others didn’t – moments of culture, leadership, landscapes, marine life. The way he looked at the world was, in itself, a spark of light.”
Her installation is a conversation between her past and the future, as well as with the viewer. It exists in a delicate balance between the photographer behind the lens, the granddaughter interpreting his vision, and the public stepping into that shared illumination.
This connection also extends to her work at House of Arts, where she is one of fifteen participating artists. “It becomes a two-way conversation between Dhai Bay and the exhibition,” she explains. “One cannot exist without the other. The installation draws from the archives, while the exhibition stands independently, but they speak to each other.”
Although the Dhai Dubai installation marks a pivotal moment in her career, cultural preservation has long been central to AlZaina’s practice. As a member of a new generation shaping the UAE’s creative identity, she views this responsibility as a duty. “If we don’t continue telling the story of our culture, who will?” she asks. “Modernising heritage is a challenge, but it’s important to maintain a true connection to what was actually there. Culture is sensitive, and the way it’s reinterpreted matters.”
Her upbringing nurtured this sensitivity. Raised in a family of creatives (including an architect mother and a father with his own intuitive design abilities), AlZaina has been drawing since childhood. “I always coloured outside the lines,” she laughs. “Creativity was how I expressed my personality.”
Though she did not initially plan to study architecture, switching majors became her first crucial turning point. That decision unlocked a series of others, including pursuing sustainability through her Material Lab experiments and, more recently, founding her own studio, Studio ALZ.
Representing Emirati talent on such a global stage is, she says, both an honour and a symbol of accountability. “I stand on a platform the world can see. It’s about delivering the UAE’s image in the best and most creative way possible,” she notes. “Dubai is a futuristic, self-driven city, and being part of the future generation means being part of that conversation.”
As for what comes next, AlZaina is focused on expanding her collaborations, exploring projects in other emirates, and refining her craft before eventually going on to showcase her work internationally. “I want to take that leap only when I’m 100 per cent ready,” she says. “But, when the time comes, I hope it will be spectacular.”
At Dhai Dubai, visitors encountered more than a work of art. They stepped into a story told by a young designer with a deep understanding of her roots. Having already shown such clarity so early in her career, it’s evident that AlZaina’s creative light is only just beginning to emerge. Watch this space…
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