The Cultural Foundation, operating under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has unveiled two major exhibitions, ‘Two Clouds in the Night Sky’ and ‘And After’, each celebrating pioneering voices in art and contemporary expression. The exhibitions are open to the public from 9 October 2025 to 22 February 2026.
‘Two Clouds in the Night Sky’ marks a landmark solo exhibition by the celebrated Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. Renowned for his contemplative, process-based approach rooted in the natural landscapes of Khor Fakkan, Ibrahim began developing his distinctive ‘cipher’ forms during the 1980s. Drawing inspiration from ancient rock carvings and intuitive mark-making, he became a central figure in shaping a conceptual language for modern art in the UAE.
The exhibition title references Ibrahim’s recent body of cloud-inspired works, depicting ethereal shapes suspended across landscapes that connect his memories, travels, and emotional reflections. At the heart of the Cultural Foundation’s atrium, a striking constellation of papier-mâché sculptures stretches across multiple platforms, echoing his signature cipher drawings and forming a surreal environment that blends elements of forest, ruin, and dreamscape.
The exhibition brings together a wide spectrum of Ibrahim’s practice across four thematic sections: In Transit, Traces Made Visible, Shapeshifters, and Where the Land Turns to Play. Featured works include his recent cloud and insect series, black-and-white works that distill form into rhythm, and selections from the ‘Sitting Man’ series (2010–2015), alongside the never-before-exhibited ‘Sitting Woman Only One’ (2010). His pioneering land art interventions resurface in archival works like Draped Trees (Ashjar Muqammasha) (1996) and Khorfakkan Circles (2004).
Anchoring this exhibition is Cultural Foundation’s newly commissioned installation Time | Place | Void (2025), which invites visitors into the temporal, environmental, and existential dimensions of his practice, , through an architectural embodiment of his iconic line drawings. In the exhibition’s final section, Where the Land Turns to Play, Cultural Foundation presents another newly commissioned work, Touchable (2025), the first piece Ibrahim has produced to be conceived for tactile engagement. Outdoors at Al Hosn site, visitors may also encounter the Abu Dhabi Art commissioned work Al Ain Oasis (2023), a tribute to the UAE’s landscapes.
The exhibition also pays tribute to Ibrahim’s landmark 1991 solo exhibition at Cultural Foundation, featuring ‘Untitled’, a rarely seen painting originally presented at that show, which is set to be on view again. Its inclusion underscores a full-circle moment in Ibrahim’s return, bridging past milestones with the breadth of new and recent works presented in this exhibition.
Curated by Noor AlMehairbi and Medyyah AlTamimi, the exhibition affirms Ibrahim’s legacy as one of the UAE’s most influential pioneer artists, while showcasing his evolving dialogue with nature, language, and memory. The exhibition is presented with support from Lawrie Shabibi.
Running concurrently is ‘And After’, curated by Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, featuring artists Razan Al Sarraf, Iman Shaggag, Salmah Al Mansoori, Omar Al Gurg, Abdulla Bu Hijji, Leila Shirazi, Moza Al Falasi, Zara Mahmoud, Yousif Abdulsaid – the florist from nothingness, Mohammed Kazem, Ammar Al Attar, Ayman Zedani, Reem Al Mubarak, Mariam Al Khoori, and Jawad Almalhi.
‘And After’ looks at the element of air and its states through the lens of Arabic terminology. Examining Sukoon (stillness and pause), Hawa (gentle, everyday air), Naseem (breeze), and Riyah (winds), it draws viewers closer to their surrounding nature and its gradual shifts, and invites them to experience how the movement of air changes with each state. A certain serenity embraces the region as the cooler months arrive, underscoring the exhibition’s exploration of how subtle changes in weather reshape one’s environment and perceptions. The transitions between Sukoon and Hawaa evoke moments of suspension — the pause between inhale and exhale, or the stillness just before daybreak.
In these quiet intervals, And After invites visitors to witness the beginnings of transformation, strengthening appreciation for the Arabic language and cultural heritage while encouraging connections between nature, language, and art.
Both exhibitions reflect DCT Abu Dhabi’s mission to preserve, promote, and protect the emirate’s cultural heritage while creating spaces for contemporary artistic expression.
Entry to both exhibitions are free, and open to all. For more information, visit culturalfoundation.ae.
