Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial delves into the evolving artistic landscape of the GCC, featuring 21 artists and collectives from across the region, including the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Set to recur every five years, it showcases works across the fields of visual arts, architecture, and design, featuring painting, video, installation, and sculpture. Rather than a comprehensive survey, this exhibition reflects on significant moments within the field of visual production from the last five years.
This exhibition is co-curated by Executive Director of the NYUAD Art Gallery Maya Allison and Art Gallery Curator and Research Assistant Professor Duygu Demir. Their work evolved out of dialogues with artists and curators from across the region, in particular four that became their curatorial interlocutors: Abdullah Al Mutairi, Ali Ismail Karimi, Aseel AlYaqoub, and Ayman Zedani. Expanded beyond a national arts landscape, this exhibition brings together and makes visible a larger shared ecosystem. The title of the first iteration, “Between the Tides,” reflects the Gulf’s deep connection to lunar rhythms and a sense of time shaped by natural patterns. The exhibition showcases a wide variety of artistic styles, from emerging voices to well-known figures, and explores important themes such as urban growth, environmental change, heritage, identity, and representation.