Dream City 2025, a multidisciplinary art festival organised by L’Art Rue, presents a selection of works by Palestinian artists from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection. This exhibition underscores the resolute commitment of Palestinian and regional artists to bear witness to the history of occupation, human rights and the complexities of Palestinian identity.
In light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the exhibition offers a poignant tribute to decades of resistance, resilience and artistic expression. The works on display are drawn from Sharjah Art Foundation’s special exhibition, titled In the eyes of our present, we hear Palestine (23 December 2023–14 April 2024), which was organised as part of the Foundation’s enduring support and solidarity for Palestine and its people.
Dream City 2025 features dynamic works, including What Everybody Knows by Ayreen Anastas & Rene Gabri; We Began by Measuring Distance by Basma al-Sharif; The Goodness Regime by Jumana Manna & Sille Storihle; Vacuum by Raeda Saadeh; and To Be Continued... by Sharif Waked. Each artist brings a unique voice to the exhibition, weaving together memories of displacement with a vibrant celebration of Palestinian cultural heritage.
In addition to these visual works, two performances co-produced by Sharjah Art Foundation take centre stage at the festival. Larroussa Quartet by Selma & Sofiane Ouissi and Magec/the Desert by Radouan Mriziga offer powerful, immersive experiences. Larroussa Quartet is a choreographic and documentary creation that explores the artistry of women potters in Sejnane, Tunisia, through gesture and movement. Magec/the Desert delves into the desert’s wisdom, exploring its relationship with time, light and movement.
Held every two years in Tunis, Dream City transforms the city into a vibrant hub of multidisciplinary art, developed in direct dialogue with its residents and the pressing social and political issues they face.
For more information about the programme, visit https://lartrue.org/en/festival-dream-city
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Dream City is an international multidisciplinary art festival organized by L’Art Rue, an association founded in 2006 by dancers and choreographers Selma and Sofiane Ouissi, who were later joined by Jan Goossens. L’Art Rue regularly implements six cross-disciplinary programs, fostering continuous experimentation that reinvents the present and envisions new horizons for our society. One of the programs is Dream City, which every two years takes over the medina to present newly produced art works in informal spaces, in its cafés, streets, abandoned buildings, and public squares.
The works are developed through extended processes of artistic research and production. Participating artists are supported over extended periods—ranging from one to four years—allowing them the time and space to immerse themselves in the city’s social and political realities. They are invited to experiment with context-specific practices, engaging directly with the urban landscape and its residents to produce works that respond to the current moment, its issues and challenges.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113