• Warehouse421 to unveil new developments to its fall programming

• The arts and design centre to be closed from 29 July and will reopen on 14 September 2019

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 28 July 2019: This week Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi’s home-grown arts and design centre, has concluded its landmark curated exhibition, Nomadic Traces: A Journey of Arabian Scripts, as well as its collaborative exhibition, Lest We Forget: The Universality of Family Photographs, bringing its spring/summer season to a close.

Warehouse421 has welcomed a high number of visitors from across the region to its exhibitions since March, who enjoyed the explorative journey offered by Nomadic Traces: A Journey of Arabian Scripts into the important role that scripts have played in defining and preserving the cultural identity of past and present civilizations in the region. In collaboration with the Khatt Foundation and curated by Dr. Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès, the exhibition showcased six of the region’s ancient alphabets that have influenced the languages spoken in the Middle East and the wider Euro-Asiatic world.

Audiences visiting Warehouse421 also delved into the commonalities that resonate deeply in communities in the UAE and Spain, exemplified through diverse family photographs offered by Lest We Forget: The Universality of Family Photographs exhibition. In collaboration with Lest We Forget, the grassroots arts and heritage initiative, and Spanish artist María José Rodríguez Escolar, the exhibition brought together photographs from unrelated families living in Spain and the UAE in the final decades of the 20th century, and explored the connections between these two cultures and families.

Commenting on the exhibitions, Faisal Al Hassan, Manager of Warehouse421, said: “It has been fascinating to witness these distinctive exhibitions come to life over the past three months. We’ve seen artworks created by some fantastic regional talent, that have encouraged the public of the UAE to connect with questions on how communities and cultures from all over the region are interconnected with each other and with the wider world around them. I’d also like to thank all those who have been involved in making these exhibitions possible, in particular the Khatt Foundation and Lest We Forget.

Al Hassan concluded: “Warehouse421 has grown out of the curiosity of the arts and design community of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, and it’s fantastic to see how these artworks and exhibitions have participated in the wider creative ecosystem of the country. These exhibitions, and their pieces, have asked some bold questions through anti-disciplinary formats, and we hope that visitors have been able to engage with these for the development of their own artistic practice. We look forward to announcing exciting new developments to the programme in the fall.”

Warehouse421 will be closed for the summer from 29 July and will reopen on 14 September 2019. The arts and design centre will be announcing new developments to its fall programming which includes its regularly scheduled line-up of workshops and courses in art and design. For more information visit www.warehouse421.com