Abu Dhabi Art 2025

The Third Line is pleased to present a dynamic group of works by Anuar Khalifi, Farah Al Qasimi, Jordan Nassar, Nima Nabavi, Rana Begum, Vian Sora, and Youssef Nabil. Together, these artists reflect a multiplicity of practices rooted in personal narrative, cultural inheritance, and formal experimentation.

Working across a range of material and conceptual frameworks, the abstract works in the presentation engage with perception, geometry, memory, and transcendence. Rana Begum experiments with light, color, and form to create paintings that transform the viewer’s experience of space, while Jordan Nassar reinterprets traditional Palestinian embroidery to construct speculative landscapes of home and yearning. Nima Nabavi maps out the universe with his geometric compositions, which invite viewers to lose themselves in. Vian Sora’s layered, gestural paintings stand as vessels for psychic excavation, shaped by experiences of displacement and resilience.

Figurative works in the presentation explore identity, performance, and narrative through a critical and often deeply personal lens. Youssef Nabil’s hand-colored portraits of renowned Iranian female figures such as Farah Diba Pahlavi, Googoosh, and Shirin Neshat reimagine cultural icons with intimacy and care, blending personal memory with broader narratives of identity. Farah Al Qasimi’s photography captures everyday scenes with a vibrant, surreal sensibility, investigating consumer culture, gender, and the construction of identity in the Gulf and beyond. Anuar Khalifi employs visual irony and symbolism to subvert orientalist tropes, constructing nuanced portrayals of masculinity, rebellion, and postcolonial identity.

Collectively, the artists reflect The Third Line’s commitment to presenting contemporary voices from the region and its diasporas that challenge, illuminate, and reimagine the spaces they inhabit.