DUBAI: Moving From a Desert Heritage to a New Future
Dubai, a city hurtling towards a futuristic vision set for 2070, is rapidly evolving. Through a blend of traditional Emirati heritage and innovative design, Dubai is using the language of design to craft its unique identity.
First there was oil, then there was Dubai. We tend to think of Dubai as a city that sprung up out of nowhere in a matter of decades, all sun, sand and supercars. But the city, fortuitously located along the banks of a salt water inlet in the Arabian Gulf, has long been a strategic trading entrepot. Think of Dubai as an iceberg. What you see above the water, the glitz and petroglamor of Brand Dubai, is just a fraction of the city. What lies beneath is a free port or a networked series of warehouses, importing and exporting not only goods, but people, cultures and ideas too. On your next trip to Dubai, visit these places to get a sense of the city’s past, present and future.
Design Heritage
In recent years, artists and designers have been uncovering untold histories and reviving indigenous crafts, intangible heritages and folkways, rooted in the desert, mountains and sea — all connected to the merchant culture, nomadic pastoralism, and seafaring that shaped the country. There’s also been renewed interest in decolonization and the late British colonialism that has shaped and stifled the terrain since the 18th century, alongside an increasing attention to sustainability and the natural world. As such, heritage-focused art is inextricable from the land that birthed it.
Begin your own Dubai sojourn by hoofing it to the place it all began, the Dubai Creek. Visit the remarkable Al Shindagha museum complex, where 22 structures unfold across a neighborhood of historic houses. Don’t miss exhibits dedicated to the pearl diving that was once the lifeblood of the city, traditional herbal medicine, and the perfume house, which takes visitors on an interactive journey into the ancient art of Emirati perfume making and its role in culture and society. When you’re done, take an abra, or wooden water taxi, across the water to explore the spice, gold and perfume souks on the other side.
Exciting things are also happening in the field of design. For example, ARDH Collective pioneered the repurposing of date seeds — an otherwise wasted by-product of the date industry — into solid surface materials. Its Dateform product smells gorgeously of roasted date pudding and graces the counters and tables of some of Dubai’s chicest eco-eateries. This innovation has helped inspire many other date seed products. Meanwhile, Lina Ghalib has transformed wasted palm frond ribs into a beautiful reclaimed hardwood called PlyPalm, used for furniture and interiors alike.
Today’s Design
As the city expanded, so too did its creek. In the new Al Jaddaf district lies Jameel Arts Centre where you can see a series of arid landscape gardens conceptualized by different artists each year, as well as a waterfront sculpture park and a Michelin-listed farm-to-table and zero waste restaurant, Teible. The highlight is the art center’s shows, which reflect the rich diversity of all the nationalities that call the city home, with an emphasis on South and Southeast Asia, in addition to the wider Middle East.
If you’re lucky enough to visit in April, don’t miss Art Dubai (April 18-20), which has grown to become the region’s major fair with the highlights including its Modern section, showcasing rarely seen masterpieces from the immediate region, as well as the Bawwaba, or “gateway” section, which features works made in the last year.
To get a finger on the pulse of Dubai’s youth culture and its creative scene, head to the repurposed warehouse complex of Alserkal Avenue. Here, and across the road at Al Khayat Avenue, is where you will find the city’s most important galleries, alongside cafés, concept stores, shops selling vinyl records and rare books, and the Gulf’s first arthouse cinema, Cinema Akil. The Avenue makes a strong effort to reflect the city’s cultural diversity in its programming. For even more boutiques and a more elevated approach to design, don’t miss Dubai Design District (d3), located near the Ras Al Khor flamingo sanctuary, which is particularly lovely during sunset.
Designing the Future
And the future? This is where we get into sci-fi and the flying taxis that are expected to begin operating at the start of 2026. Consider visiting Dubai’s Museum of the Future, for a highly interactive, gamified presentation of these ideas, and a sense of the enthusiasm with which new technologies like AI, mixed realities, and blockchain have been adopted by governments and artists alike.
More interesting is the Dubai Frame, a giant picture frame monument that offers bird’s eye views of the old and new parts of the city. The funny thing about the future here is the collective optimism that things can only get even better, that it is the past that is contingent and in constant flux. Put another way, for many artists and designers, this uncontested future is just not that interesting anymore. Rather, creatives are turning to the past to arrive, in a manner, at the future. As artist and curator Talal Al Najjar explains, “Futurity as a multifaceted concept peaked in the 2010s in Dubai’s contemporary art scene, and is perhaps having a resurgence among younger artists in the 2020s, usually in a tug-of-war with concepts of nostalgia. In Dubai, futurity is as much in the present as in the future. How do we reconcile our contemporary conditions with our history and potential futures?”
- Rahel Aima is a writer, editor and critic from Dubai who studied
anthropology at Columbia University. She contributes to various
publications, including Artforum, Art in America, Artnews, ArtReview and
many other international journals. She also serves as an advisor for this
year’s Hyundai Artlab Editorial Fellowship.
24 Hours inDubai
If you are planning to visit Dubai, don’t miss the following five places.
Ethiad Museum
More than just a museum, it’s a portal to understanding the history of the seven Emirates that make up the UAE, as well as an exceptional experience in space design, making it a worthwhile stop for any visitor. Inspired by the undulating dunes of the desert and the contours of traditional Arab tents, the museum’s architectural design eloquently expresses a harmonious dialogue between the traditions of the past and the innovations of the future.
- etihadmuseum.dubaiculture.gov.ae
XVA Gallery
Nestled in the heart of Dubai’s Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, XVA Gallery is a leading voice in contemporary art. Founded in 2003, the gallery has played a pivotal role in showcasing contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The building in which the gallery is housed includes a boutique hotel as well as a café that seamlessly blends traditional Arabian Majlis architecture (featuring an inner courtyard) with modern design sensibilities.
- xvagallery.com
Majlis Gallery
Majlis Gallery has stood as a beacon of creativity since its founding in 1989. In 1976, founder Alison Collins was captivated by the charm of Al Fahidi’s traditional architecture during her first visit to Dubai. A few years later, she made the neighborhood her home and transformed it into a haven for artists and art enthusiasts alike.
- themajlisgallery.com
The Courtyard
The Courtyard is a hidden gem that has played a pivotal role in Dubai’s cultural evolution. Founded in 1998 by the visionary couple Shaqayeq and Dariush, The Courtyard emerged from a desire to fill the void of creative spaces in 1990s Dubai. Utilizing salvaged materials, the couple crafted recycled furniture and eco-friendly decorative elements, transforming a neglected area into a vibrant streetscape.
- courtyard-uae.com
Cinema Akil
Cinema Akil stands as the Middle East’s first independent cinema, a beacon for art house ㅣfilms, documentaries, classic cinema and independent productions from around the globe, offering a compelling alternative to Hollywood blockbusters. Launched in 2014 as a nomadic cinema, Cinema Akil hosted over 60 pop-up screenings across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
- cinemaakil.com
- Written by Rahel Aima
- Photography by Lim Harkhyoun
- Korean Air operates direct flights between
Incheon and Dubai 7 times a week.
