The Sharjah Art Foundation is preparing to welcome the summer and autumn 2026 season with a wide cultural and artistic program that continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading platforms for contemporary art in the region.

The program brings together art exhibitions, photography, performance arts, cinema, and art publishing, in addition to expanding the presence of the Foundation’s collections outside the United Arab Emirates through partnerships with international cultural institutions.

One of the main highlights of the season is the photography exhibition “Sharjah, Area 13”, held at the Photographic Gallery from 8 August to 29 November. Its thirteenth edition features six artists presenting new works commissioned specifically by the Foundation, as part of an initiative that follows developments in the photographic scene and supports contemporary visual production.

At the same venue, the exhibition “Photographic Encounters along the Gulf Coasts” continues. It includes 165 photographs and archival documents from the collection of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, offering a visual reading of the memory of the Gulf and the coasts of the Indian Ocean through documents and photographs that record the region’s transformations over time.

The program is not limited to local events but also extends to an international presence through the display of the Foundation’s collections at the Aranya Art Center in the city of Guangzhou and at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, reflecting the expanding network of cultural cooperation that the Foundation is building with museums and art centers around the world.

In the coming months, the fifth edition of the Sharjah Performances Festival, the ninth edition of Focal Point, Sharjah’s annual art book fair, and the ninth edition of the Sharjah Film Platform will also take place. This confirms the diversity of the program, which brings together visual arts, cinema, and publishing as interconnected fields of dialogue and creativity.

In parallel, the summer program continues through initiatives such as Sharjah Radio and the Sunday Cinema Club, while the exhibition Laila Majid and Inaam Zafar: Body Quotidian remains open to visitors until September 20. Together, these elements complete a season that emphasizes the sustainability of cultural activity and the diversity of artistic practice.