To kick off the new year, The New Arab highlights exciting London exhibitions showcasing the art, culture, and history of the MENA region, offering a chance to explore the diverse stories and creativity of this vibrant part of the world.
Collateral Damage and Art of Palestine | From the River to the Sea
At P21 Gallery, two exhibitions are running.
The first exhibition, Collateral Damage, is on display until 17 January 2025 and features powerful artwork by journalist and artist Abdelfatah Bouakaz, reflecting his pain and the emotional impact of war, particularly the genocide in Gaza.
The second exhibition, Art of Palestine | From the River to the Sea, runs until 31 January 2025 and showcases the Palestinian people’s culture, heritage, and struggles through works by Palestinian artists, including those living in Gaza.
Location: P21 Gallery
Dates: Running until 17 January and 31 JanuaryÂ
Silk Roads
The Silk Roads exhibition focuses on the period between AD 500 and 1000, when trade routes stretching across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe expanded significantly, facilitating the spread of major religions and encouraging cultural exchange.
Held at the British Museum in London, the exhibition features a variety of objects from different cultures, including rare items from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It highlights fascinating historical figures such as an English smuggler and a Chinese princess who taught her new kingdom the secrets of silk farming.
Through these stories and objects, the exhibition paints a clear picture of how different cultures and societies connected across great distances, long before the world became as globalised as it is today.
Location: British Museum
Date: Running until 23 February 2025
Sara Sadik: La Potion
At Annka Kultys Gallery, the exhibition presents La Potion (EH) (2023), a video animation by French artist Sara Sadik, as part of a new digital programme that explores cutting-edge art, including video animation and emerging technologies such as AI and blockchain.
Sara’s work explores the lives of Maghrebi youth in France, particularly second-generation emigrants from North Africa, and examines masculine identity through computer-generated fantasy, placing her characters in an imagined world to empower them and elevate them from the struggles of real life.
Location: Annka Kultys Gallery
Dates: Running until 1 March 2025
William Morris & Art from the Islamic World
The exhibition William Morris & Art from the Islamic World explores the influence of Islamic art on the work of William Morris, one of Britain’s most important nineteenth-century designers.
Known for his role in the Arts and Crafts movement, William was inspired by Islamic textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and manuscripts, and for the first time, over 90 pieces from his personal collection are displayed, revealing how his well-known designs were influenced by Islamic art.
Located at the William Morris Gallery, the exhibition is curated by Rowan Bain and Qaisra M. Khan and is accompanied by a new publication titled Tulips and Peacocks: William Morris and Art from the Islamic World (Yale University Press).
Location:Â William Morris Gallery
Dates: Running until 9 March 2025
Jameel Prize: Moving Images
The Jameel Prize: Moving Images exhibition at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum highlights the work of visual artist Khandakar Ohida, the winner of this year’s Jameel Prize, who also received a £25,000 award.
At the exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to see her film Dream Your Museum (2022), which reflects on her uncle’s collection and the value of everyday objects.
Alongside the film, there is also a display of objects belonging to Khandakar’s uncle, stored in simple metal trunks.Â
Prior to Khandakar’s win, the V&A also showcased the work of the other finalists selected from over 300 submissions, whose works, like Khandakar’s, explored themes of identity, history, and community through film, photography, animation, sound, and virtual reality.
Location: V&A South Kensington
Dates: Running until 16 March 2025
Leighton and Landscape: Impressions from Nature
Remembered as a painter with a deep appreciation for the Middle East and its cultures, the late Frederic Leighton’s first major collection of small landscape oil sketches, painted en plein air during his travels from 1856 to 1896, offers a rare insight into his spontaneous and experimental approach to art.
The exhibition, showcasing over 60 works — many of which are returning to Leighton’s house for the first time in over 120 years — comprises new acquisitions such as Bay of Cádiz, Moonlight (1866), along with special MENA-focused pieces, including sketches from his 1868 Nile trip, where he captured desert landscapes and panoramic views like On the Nile, rather than Egypt’s iconic temples.
Location: Leighton House
Dates: Running until 27 April 2025
The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence
The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture, and Opulence exhibition at the V&A celebrates the artistic achievements of the Mughal Empire during its ‘Golden Age’.Â
The exhibition showcases the rich cultural output of Mughal Hindustan, exploring the dynasty’s history from its founding by Babur in 1526 to its heights under Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan, with a focus on their contributions to art and culture.
Upon arrival, visitors can explore exquisite works created in the imperial workshops, where Iranian and Hindustani artists produced unique Mughal diamond cuts and valuable gemstones, including a rare 110-carat Colombian emerald and an intricately engraved royal spinel.
Beyond these treasures, visitors can also view a stunning array of paintings, textiles, carpets, and illustrated manuscripts.
Location: V&A South Kensington
Dates: Running until 5 May 2025
Zainab Mehdi is The New Arab’s Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region
Follow her on X:Â @zaiamehdi
