“Seeing Ourselves” exhibition showcases UAE youth's visions of identity and heritage
Zayed University collaboration at Saadiyat Foundation explores memory, belonging, and transformation through contemporary photography exhibitions alongside international artist Philippe Ducap.
Messenger
Whatsapp
Threads
Email
Print
X
Facebook
The Bassam Freiha Art Foundation has announced the opening of the “Seeing Ourselves” art exhibition, in collaboration with the College of Arts and Creative Industries at Zayed University in the UAE, running until August 31, 2026.
The exhibition marks the culmination of a year-long educational and practical program that enabled students to create artworks inspired by their personal experiences and perspectives, while also gaining hands-on experience in exhibition organization, graphic design, and exhibition design under the supervision of the foundation’s team.
It features original photographic works produced by Zayed University students, exploring themes of identity, place, and belonging through architecture, natural landscapes, and portraits. These works construct visual narratives that reflect contemporary experiences in the UAE.
The exhibition offers visitors a visual and spatial journey through photography, examining the intersection of memory, identity, human presence, and history.
Rather than presenting isolated works, it builds a continuous visual dialogue between the images, revealing the layered dimensions of contemporary life.
The works are carefully arranged to create connections between people and the spaces they inhabit, guiding visitors through different exhibition stations and highlighting subtle emotional transitions.
The spatial design maintains a continuous visual rhythm, moving between moments of meditative reflection and calm tension, enhancing the depth and narrative coherence of the experience.
'Seeing Ourselves' Exhibition
Participating student artists include Ameera Faisal Al Balushi, Nada Khaled, Reem Al Hosani, Sara Al Afeefi, and Douha Al Gholabi.
Students responsible for artistic evaluation are Fatima Al Marrar, Sara Al Ketbi, Sara Al Ali, Fai Al Mazrouei, Salama Al Rumaithi, and Moza Al Mehairi, while the design team includes Wdeema Al Mehairi, Najla Rahman, and Hamda Al Harthi.
'Before the Breaking Silence'
In the adjoining gallery, the foundation also presents “Before the Breaking Silence”, a series of photographic works by French artist Philippe Ducap, who supervised the Artist in Residence program for Zayed University students.
These works take the sea as both subject and medium, reflecting on constant change as one of the few enduring realities. Ducap’s practice moves between portrait and documentary photography, focusing on overlooked details and moments.
In this exhibition, he uses the sea as a space of transformation and renewal, evoking the vastness and fluctuations of natural forces while highlighting the fragility of human certainty in the face of an ever-changing environment.
The foundation is also opening, alongside these exhibitions, “Selections from the Bassam Freiha Collection”, with all three exhibitions welcoming visitors starting today at the foundation’s headquarters in the cultural district of Saadiyat.
