Seeing Ourselves opens at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation. The show, created by Zayed University students, marks the culmination of a year‑long programme that placed young Emirati creatives at the centre of every stage of exhibition‑making, from photography and curation to graphic and exhibition design.
The exhibition occupies the foundation’s main gallery and brings together architecture, landscape and portrait photographs that explore identity, memory and belonging through distinctly Emirati perspectives. A photograph of contemporary architecture hangs opposite an image of a woman framed behind traditional Emirati textiles, while desert landscapes sit alongside portraits that blend heritage and contemporary identity.
Student voices shape the narrative
“It was conceived as a direct counterpart to the foundation's permanent collection,” says Michaela Watrelot, curator and director of exhibitions. “While the collection is largely shaped around western artists imagining this region from the outside, Seeing Ourselves places Emirati students in the role of image‑makers, reflecting their own experience of the UAE today.”
A portrait by Zayed University student Sara Al Afeefi explores the relationship between Emirati heritage and contemporary identity through traditional dress. Photographer Nada Khaled adds, “I looked at traditional clothing and the details and ornamentation that we have from the past, and expressed them in a modern way.”
“I also explored the desert and how it exists today compared to the past, and that was illustrated through the photographs.”
— Nada Khaled, photographer
One of Khaled’s photographs incorporates a mirror, allowing viewers to become part of the image itself. The device echoes the exhibition’s title, encouraging audiences not only to observe the images but to locate themselves within them.
Female leadership defines the visual identity
The exhibition is also notable for being female‑led. Although this was not planned from the outset, all the students involved in the project are women, which has shaped the exhibition’s visual identity. Graphic design student Najla Rahman explains, “We wanted to create something that combined the UAE and femininity.”
Watrelot notes that once the team realised the exhibition was female‑run, they fully embraced that perspective in the branding and colour palette. The result is a cohesive visual language that reflects both the UAE’s cultural heritage and the fresh outlook of its emerging artists.
For the participating students, exhibiting at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation represents an important milestone as they near the final stages of their studies. Khaled says, “It is a pleasure and a great honour to have my work showcased with the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation. They have given me a platform to present my work and share my name with a wider audience.”
