Dubai Collection, the city’s first institutional art collection of Modern and Contemporary art launched in 2021 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will present a new exhibition at Art Dubai later this month. Titled Common Grounds, the exhibition is curated by three Zayed University students, Shamsa Al Qubaisi, Maryam Al Zaabi and Sara Al Sulaimani, mentored by curatorial advisors Dr. Nada Shabout and Magali Arriola. The exhibition will be on view to the public from 18 to 20 April at Madinat Jumeirah, inviting visitors to engage with the Dubai Collection through a curatorial lens shaped by education and cultural dialogue.

Stemming from a unique academic collaboration, the exhibition reflects Dubai Collection’s long-term vision to serve as a platform for education, research and cultural preservation. The project also highlights the Collection’s role as both an archive and an active tool, supporting research, creativity and the preservation of cultural narratives for the next generation.

Common Grounds will present a selection of artworks from the Dubai Collection made between the years 1949 and 2024, that, while drawn from different geographic and cultural contexts, speak to a shared human experience. Bringing together a diverse group of artists, including Talal Al Najjar,  Lamya Gargash and Juma Al Hajj , the exhibition invites reflection on the role of art in revealing connections across time, place and identity. Presenting the exhibition at Art Dubai connects Dubai’s cultural history with global audiences and reaffirms the Collection’s commitment to preserving and narrating the stories of the city’s diverse communities.

Following a semester-long academic exploration, the exhibition was developed as part of the course Communities, Curatorial Practices, and Collections taught by Dr Moya Goosen, College of Arts and Creative Enterprises. As part of their final project, students used the Dubai Collection as a case study and curatorial resource, each proposing an exhibition concept grounded in their research. After a review process involving the Dubai Collection’s curatorial committee, one project was selected for potential for public presentation at Art Dubai. The selected student curators – Shamsa Al Qubaisi, Maryam Al Zaabi and Sara Al Sulaimani – then worked under the mentorship of curatorial advisors Dr. Nada Shabout and Magalí Arriola to refine their concept, culminating in Common Grounds. The exhibition provides the students with an international platform to present their ideas and projects, engage with leading industry professionals, and enable audiences to encounter works from the Collection in a new way.

Launched in 2021 by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Dubai Collection is run in partnership with Art Dubai Group. The Collection is built through an innovative loan-based model with artworks contributed by individual and corporate patrons who retain legal ownership while enabling public access through exhibitions and the Dubai Collection online museum.

Muna Faisal Al Gurg, Chair of the Dubai Collection Curatorial Committee and CEO of the Museums and Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture, said: “At its core, Dubai Collection is about more than preserving artworks – it is about inspiring thought, supporting talent, and shaping cultural knowledge. The collaboration with Zayed University represents the Collection’s hybrid role, across digital and physical, as a platform for research, experimentation and dialogue with the public. Common Grounds is a testament to what is possible when our youth are empowered with access, guidance and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to Dubai’s cultural and academic life.”

Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director of Art Dubai, commented: “Art Dubai Group is focused on long-term initiatives that contribute to the development of the UAE’s cultural sector. Our collaboration with Dubai Culture on the Dubai Collection reflects this commitment, and this exhibition highlights how collections, when actively shaped and revisited, become less about preservation and more about dialogue – offering insight into where we’ve been, and revealing something about the cultural priorities of the moment. Working with the students has been particularly rewarding; their perspectives brought new energy to the Collection and reminded us of its potential to inspire the cultural voices of tomorrow.”

Janet Bellotto, Dean College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University, commented: “Opportunities like the Dubai Collection are transformative for our students at Zayed University. They offer a rare and invaluable chance to move beyond the classroom and engage directly with the cultural heartbeat of the region. It links academic learning and professional experience, empowering students to envision their place within the Culture and Creative Industries. These experiences deepen their understanding of curatorial and cultural work and inspire a stronger sense of purpose, relevance, and possibility in their creative journeys.”

Dubai Collection includes over 1,000 artworks by artists from more than 40 countries. It features 22 Emirati artists – both established and emerging – such as Hassan Sharif, Abdul Qader Al Rais, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Mohammed Kazem and Sarah Almheiri. Nearly 100 female artists are represented, and around 20% of the works are based outside the UAE, capturing Dubai’s international outlook and commitment to cultural exchange.

Dr. Nada Shabout, Regents Professor of Art History and Coordinator of Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Initiative at the University of North Texas, and curatorial advisor to the exhibition, said: “Through the Dubai Collection, the students were immersed in the realities of curatorial work – where research meets interpretation, and ideas take form. The exhibition stands as a compelling exercise in authorship and intent, marked by thoughtful research and a clear curatorial perspective.”

Magalí Arriola, Director of Museo Tamayo in Mexico City and curatorial advisor to the project, added: “The students engaged deeply with Dubai Collection, not only as a repository of artworks but as a curatorial challenge. Their concept, Common Grounds, balances academic rigour with emotional resonance, and offers a thoughtful perspective on how art can connect people across cultures and experiences.”

For more information about Dubai Collection, visit www.dubaicollection.ae.