Aisha Alabbar Gallery presents ‘Whispers of the Past’ in collaboration with Sotheby’s Dubai

Dubai: Aisha Alabbar Gallery's latest gallery is an evocative intergenerational exhibition.

Titled Whispers of the Past, gathers a multi-generational group of artists whose practices consistently engage with themes of memory, identity, and cultural residue.

The artists, Dr. Najat Makki, Khalid Al Banna, Sara Al Haddad, Sara Aref Ahli and Samar Hejazi, each offer a unique visual language to consider how the past is held.

Their work reveals where memory resides: in the body, in the land, or through the artistic process itself.

The exhibition is a meditation on the enduring traces of history. It does not present memory as a static, fixed narrative. Instead, it offers it as an open, shifting presence that actively informs how we perceive our environments today.

Spanning painting, sculpture, textile, and glass installation, Whispers of the Past brings together five leading contemporary voices in a powerful, cross-disciplinary dialogue. It showcases the depth and thematic richness of the local art ecosystem.

Running until November 14, 2025, this collaborative show is an essential destination for those interested in how identity and cultural history are articulated through contemporary artistic practice in the UAE and beyond.

Whispers of the Past: The Artists

Dr. Najat Makki, a pioneering Emirati artist, often uses colour and light in her expressive paintings to tap into collective cultural consciousness. Her contribution grounds the exhibition in a tradition of female artistic strength. This contrasts sharply with the materially focused practices of the younger artists.

The exhibition benefits from this intergenerational exchange. Shilan Samaei, Director of Aisha Alabbar Gallery, notes that each artist’s perspective is crucial. Their varying approaches illustrate the complexities of contemporary identity formation. The works present cultural residues not as burdens, but as active ingredients shaping the present moment. This convergence of styles and ages sparks an important conversation about continuity and change within the UAE art scene.

Materials as Carriers of History

A key strength of the exhibition lies in how the artists translate the abstract concept of memory into tangible material form. The works on view utilize a diverse array of media, underscoring the artists' commitment to process and material as storytelling devices.

In the realm of textiles, artists like Sara Al Haddad and Khalid Al Banna explore how threads and fabrics carry historical weight.

Al Banna, known for his mixed-media work, often employs fabric remnants and layered compositions. His pieces suggest fragmented recollections and the ephemeral nature of time. Al Haddad's work, conversely, often uses textile to explore vulnerability and intimacy, positioning the fabric as a surrogate for the emotional body that remembers.

The inclusion of sculpture and glass installation, provided by artists like Sara Aref Ahli and Samar Hejazi, adds a spatial dimension to the reflection. Glass, inherently fragile yet capable of holding and distorting light, becomes a potent metaphor for memory itself—clear in one moment, fragmented in the next. These installations demand slow observation, forcing the viewer to consider how personal and collective histories are carried through deliberate gestures and forms.

The exhibition effectively transforms the Sotheby’s gallery space. It becomes a quiet but powerful arena for introspection. Visitors will find themselves moving through a landscape of shifting presences, contemplating how these artists use material choices to speak volumes about silence and persistence.

The Gallery Collective: A Strategic Partnership

Whispers of the Past is featured as part of The Gallery Collective, a strategic two-year series launched by Sotheby’s Dubai in November 2024. This unique collaboration with homegrown UAE galleries is critical to supporting the cultural ecosystem. It allows locally rooted visions to occupy an international platform in the heart of the DIFC.

As Katia Nounou Boueiz, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Middle East, explains, the series aims to support the "blossoming cultural ecosystem." By dedicating their space to partners like Aisha Alabbar Gallery, Sotheby's turns the spotlight onto both emerging and established artists through the lens of local expertise. This model provides an intimate setting for collectors to engage with and add to their collection, benefiting from a wealth of localized knowledge.

The collaboration with Aisha Alabbar Gallery in presenting Whispers of the Past marks a significant moment in this ongoing series. The exhibition confirms the power of inter-institutional dialogue. It champions the unique visual languages of five important artists, inviting the viewer to participate in an enriching meditation on history and identity.

The exhibition closes on November 14, 2025. Interested visitors can view the exhibition at Sotheby’s Middle East, DIFC, Dubai, Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm.