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Welcome to the Cultural Foundation

Founded in 1981, visitors can experience the UAE’s first cultural centre dedicated to creation and appreciation Emirati arts and literature.

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Events

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Location

Cultural Foundation,
Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street.
Al Hosn – Abu Dhabi

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Timings

SAT – THU
10:00 am – 8:00 pm

FRI
12:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Community Events

“Reflections” Visual Arts Exhibition

Through the eyes of 4 emerging Artists who are commissioned to create artworks and showcased in an interactive exhibition based on a digital platform, which is created for the public to showcase the artistic significance of the Emirati Art exhibition Artists and the Cultural Foundation: The Early Years” As the first exhibition to launch the re-opening of the cultural foundation.

Each Artist will present a reflective artwork based on 4 established artists from the main exhibition Artists and the Cultural Foundation: The Early Years” alongside a recorded audio interpretation of their own created work and how it reflects on the works of the established artists.

The selected artists come from various schools of art as to compliment the multidisciplinary background of the main exhibition.

Art Gallery

Mission

To reflect the existence of the Emirati art community in establishing a fine arts culture where the national and international art community is aware and appreciative of the Emirati artists and artworks.

To Generate and respond to multi stream opportunities for the positioning of Emirati artists within the public and private domain, nationally, regionally and internationally using the platform of the art gallery to support the Emirati art community.

To provide the public the opportunity to engage with the Emirati artists and be part of the artists led workshops taking place once every week.

Art Studios Programme

An inspiring artistic threshold which provides free artwork production spaces for established UAE artists to proudly present their own artistic essence while sharing their rich experience through live workshops for further involvement in the Cultural Foundation’s programmes and activities such as talks and artistic circles.

Artist in Residence Programme

The Cultural Foundation Residency is a platform for young dedicated artists to share their experience among each other, participate in mentoring sessions with professionals and to reflect through discussions about artistic topics.

A dedicated studio space during this programme is the opportunity for the artists to practically work on their artworks.

The programme is designed to support artists to develop their artistic practice, their career, and to position themselves on the art market in the Middle East and beyond.

The artists chosen for the first cycle of the residency will not only receive artistic/educational guidance and mentorship but they will also receive a training course to be able to conduct workshops for the public.

Public workshops conducted by the chosen artists are scheduled to be once a week.

Book Club

The Book Club is a platform which brings book lovers and readers together to discuss, gain new perspectives, exchange and share their experiences and passion for literature on every first Saturday of every month. The Book Club offers the opportunity for the audience to meet national and international authors with a multiple showcases of literature’s diverse forms such as novels and poems. The Book Club highlights the importance of the intellectual scene in the UAE.

Public Talks

Driven by the importance of the talks and panel discussion programme as a medium of engaging audience via sharing experiences and history related to different cultural and artistic aspects, the Cultural Foundation talks programme is designed to respond to the position of the foundation as a cultural center in the heart of Abu Dhabi, it is the programme that will offer the chance for intellectual conversations between speakers (artists, scholars, professors, experts, film makers, novelists…etc.) and audiences from all backgrounds and all ages.

Masterclass Workshops

The Cultural Foundation workshops programme is to foster artistic growth through providing educational and practical opportunities to the public being artists or art enthusiasts, to transform the artists’ experiences and expertise into a physical hand on practices enriching the community at large by giving the opportunity to the public to receive the knowledge needed to expand their career directly from the workshops, in addition to encourage and support both appreciation and creation of fine art and to engage the audience in an artistic dialogue.

Getting There

The Cultural Foundation sits opposite Qasr Al Hosn. Located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, between Zayed the First Street, Khaled Bin Waleed Street, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street (5th Street) ad Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed St (2nd Street).

Key Landmarks

Nearby the site include the Etisalat Headquarters and the World Trade Centre.

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