✨January 2026✨
ART calendar of MENA Region:
Presenting a detailed guide to current art exhibitions in the MENA region for January 2026. Don't miss the temporary and permanent exhibitions in leading galleries and cultural centres across the MENA region.
highlights of december - January
sikka art & design festival
- Location: Al Shindagha Historic District
- 23 January - 1 February 2026
26th Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival
- Location: Sharjah. Different locations
- November 19 -
January 31, 2026
Exhibitions in Abu Dhabi
ALA YOUNis: PAST OF A TEMPORAL UNIVERSE
- Location: NYUAD Art Gallery
- 23 September –
18 January 2026
Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim: Two Clouds in the Night Sky
- Location: Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi
- 9 October 2025 - 22 February 2026
Nja Mahdaoui: The Choreographer of Letters
- Location: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation
- 24 October 2025 - 25 January 2026
Constructing the Orient: Fragments of a Western Dream
- Location: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation
- 24 October 2025 - 31 May 2026
The Shape of Meaning: Highlights from Al Burda Collection
- Location: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation
- 19 November 2025 - 25 January 2026
On View: ‘Salah’ series by Ammar Al Attar
- Location: Iris Projects and Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi
- 15 October 2025 - 22 February 2026
The Last Century: 100 Years of Arab Art (1920–2020)
- Location: Khawla Art Gallery
- 19 November 2025 –
8 January 2026
Light & peace
- Location: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre
- 1 September 2024 -
1 September 2026
Exhibitions in Dubai
Bady Dalloul: Self-portrait with a cat I don’t have
- Location: Jameel Arts Centre
- 20 September –
22 February 2026
Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook: The Bouquet and the Wreath
- Location: Jameel Arts Centre
- 6 November -
8 March 2026
Jumana Emil Abboud: The Storyteller and the Obedient Tide
- Location: Jameel Arts Centre
- 28 January - 28 June 2026
Whimsical World solo exhibition by Natalya Urmanova
- Location: The Warehouse gallery
- From 1st of November
“The Sun Years” Matthew F Fisher
- Location: Taymour Grahne Projects
- 22 November 2025 -
6 January 2026
“Monochromes”, Amy Lincoln
- Location: Taymour Grahne Projects
- 22 November 2025 -
6 January 2026
Sarah McEneaney: Creative Non-Fiction
- Location: Taymour Grahne Projects
- 17 January -
28 February 2026
Ryan Koopmans and Alice Wexell: The Wild Within
- Location: Leila Heller Gallery
- 11 November 2025 –
8 January 2026
Soft Edge of the Blade, Vol. III LEILA HELLER X ZAAL ART
- Location: Leila Heller Gallery
- 11 November 2025 –
8 January 2026
Stories in Thousand Pieces PARINAZ ELEISH GHARAGOZLOU
- Location: Leila Heller Gallery
- 11 November 2025 –
14 January 2026
Moments of Hope By Besher Koushaji
- Location: Firetti Contemporary
- 17 November 2025 - 12 January 2026
Domestic Compositions
Kamrooz Aram
- Location: Green Art Gallery
- 16 November 2025 – 10 January 2026
Asma Belhamar: The window refused to fly, and the arch decided to hold the sky
- Location: Green Art Gallery
- From 17 January 2026
Fertile Dreams | Group Exhibition
- Location: Tabari Artspace
- 10 November 2025 - 2 January 2026
The importance of staying quiet. Lala Rukh II
- Location: Grey Noise
- 16 November - 17 January 2026
In the Wake of Time
- Location: RARARES Gallery. DIFC Sculpture Park
- 25 November 2025 –
31 May 2026
Exhibitions in SHARJAH
Leda Catunda: I like to like what others are liking
- Location: Sharjah Art Foundation
- 26 September 2025 -
8 February 2026
Image Keepers: Photographic Works from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection
- Location: Sharjah Art Foundation
- 8 November 2025 – 26 April 2026
26th Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival Asma Belhamar
- Location: Green Art Gallery at Siraj
- November 19, 2025 – January 31, 2026
Permanent Exhibitions in the UAE
Archaeological Finds and Historical Artefacts, narrating the Emirate's rich past
Location: National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah
Exhibitions in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
Artistic and Historical Exhibits
- Location: National Museum of Saudi Arabia
- Permanent exhibition
Exhibitions at SAMoCA
- Location: Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA)
- Permanent exhibition
Jeddah
Permanent exhibition of artist Safeya Binzagr's works
- Location: Darat Safeya Binzagr Gallery
AlUla
Dhahran
Exhibitions in Turkey
Istanbul
Floating Islands Permanent Exhibition
- Location: Istanbul Modern
- 1 January – 31 December 2025
Renzo Piano: Genius Loci Permanent Exhibition
- Location: Istanbul Modern
- 1 January – 31 December 2025
Feelings in Common. Works from the British Council Collection
- Location: Pera Museum
- 16 September 2025 -
18 January 2026
Åsa Jungnelius
A Verse, Written with Earth, Fire, Water, and Air
- Location: Pera Museum
- 16 September 2025 -
18 January 2026
Extraordinary Minas
The Story of Inspiration and Innovation in Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics
- Location: Pera Museum
- From May 27, 2025
Suzanne Lacy: Birlikte/Togæther
- Location: Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM)
- 12 September -
8 March 2026
We've Been at the Tapestry Studio Since the 90s
- Location: Salt Beyoğlu
- 19 September 2025 –
1 March 2026
Together (Fulya Çetin & İlhan Sayın)
- Location: Yapı Kredi Culture and Art
- Until 4 January 2026
Do You Remember The Scent of Spring?
- Location: Yapı Kredi Culture and Art
- Until 15 February 2026
CABINET 05/25: EXPRESSIONISM AND NEW OBJECTIVITY THEN AND NOW
- Location: Anna Laudel Gallery
- November 28, 2025 – January 11, 2026
Jochen Proehl. Excavated Visions: Layers of Earth and Memory
- Location: Anna Laudel Gallery
- November 28, 2025 – January 11, 2026
The Photography Studio of An Adventurous Architect. Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893–1982
- Location: Istanbul Research Institute
- Until 17 May 2026
Exhibitions in Bahrain
Manama
Permanent exhibition dedicated to painting, Arabic calligraphy, sculpture, and engraving
- Location: Busaad Art Gallery
Muharraq
permanent exhibition dedicated to paintings, Arabic calligraphy, sculpture, and printmaking
- Location: Busaad Art Gallery
Exhibitions in QATAR. DOHA
Resolutions: Celebrating 15 years of Mathaf
- Location: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
- Until 8 August 2026
STORIES WRITING THEMSELVES
- Location: al markhiya gallery. Katara Cultural Village
- Until January 2026
A Nation’s Legacy,
A People’s Memory: Fifty Years Told
- Location: National Museum of Qatar
- Until 7 February 2026
Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street
- Location: 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum
- Until 7 March 2026
I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture
- Location: Qatar Museums Gallery – Al Riwaq
- Until 14 February 2026
Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave
- Location: Qatar Preparatory School and National Museum of Qatar
- Until 29 April 2026
Permanent exhibition.
One of the world’s greatest collections of Islamic art
- Location: Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)
EXHIBITIONS IN Libya. Tripoli
EXHIBITIONS IN EGYPT. Cairo
Permanent Grand Exhibition of Egyptian Heritage
- Location: National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC)
- Permanent Exhibition
IN EACH AND EVERY TURN OF THE TIDE
- Location: Gypsum gallery
- 25 November 2025 - 11 February 2026
Giza
Luxor
Exhibitions in ISRAEL. Tel AVIV
The Day Is Gone: 100 Years of the New Objectivity
- Location: Tel Aviv Museum of Art
- Until 23 May 2026
Yayoi Kusama — Infinity Mirrored Room: The Eternally Infinite Light of the Universe Illuminating the Quest for Truth
- Location: Tel Aviv Museum of Art
- No end date
Manar Zuabi: Moderate Physical Pressure
- Location: CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo
November 24, 2025 – February 7, 2026
Holon
Exhibitions in Iran. Tehran
Exhibitions in TUNISIA. Tunis
Exhibitions in Sudan. Khartoum
Exhibitions in Morocco. Casablanca
ABDELRKIM OUAZZANI
THE CHILDHOOD OF ART
- Location: L'Atelier 21 Gallery
- 9 DECEMBER 2025 - 10 JANUARY 2026
Marrakesh
David Seidner – Yves Saint Laurent
- Location: Yves Saint Laurent Museum
- September 25, 2025 - August 2, 2026
Exhibitions in Kuwait. Kuwait City
Girl Parts: By Aliyah Alawadhi
- Location: Hunna Art Gallery
- 15 November 2025 -
4 January 2026
Exhibitions in Yemen. Sana’a
Permanent Exhibition of artificat from the Islamic States era
- Location: National Museum of Yemen
Exhibitions in Syria. Damascus
Exhibitions in Malta. Valletta
Permanent exhibition of the national collection
- Location: MUŻA — The National Community Art Museum
Celebrating 25 Years of Spazju Kreattiv: Nurturing Legacy Through Art
- Location: Spazju Kreattiv
- 18 September 2025 – 17 May 2026
Exhibitions in Palestine. Birzeit
Exhibitions in Cyprus. Nicosia
Limassol
Exhibitions in Mauritania. Nouakchott
Exhibitions in Lebanon. Beirut
the Encounter of the First and Last Particles of Dust by Stephanie Saade
- Location: Sursock Museum
- Until 15 January 2026
DIVAS: From Oum Kalthoum to Dalida
- Location: Sursock Museum
- 17 October 2025 – 11 January 2026
Ribal Molaeb. Becoming Light
- Location: Agial Art Gallery & Saleh Barakat Gallery
- 4 December, 2025 -
2 January, 2026
Caleen Ladki: Thresholds of the Unseen
- Location: Kalim Bechara Art Gallery
- 8-19 January, 2026
✨January 2026✨
ART calendar of MENA Region:
Presenting a detailed guide to current art exhibitions in the MENA region for January 2026. Don't miss the temporary and permanent exhibitions in leading galleries and cultural centres across the MENA region.