Bait 15 was opened in May by a cohort of five young artists: Maitha Abdalla, originally from Khorfakkan; Afra Al Dhaheri, from Abu Dhabi; Hashel Al Lamki, from Al Ain; and Kris Mortensen and Tony Bragg, a US couple who live in Abu Dhabi. Pictured: Afra Al Dhaheri, Hashel Lamki and Maitha Abdalla. Victor Besa / The National
“There was no such place in Abu Dhabi – a place that is run by artists and is for artists, where we could critique each other’s work and just hang out,” says Maitha Abdulla, one of the co-founders. Victor Besa / The National
Bait 15 hosts studios and exhibition space on the ground floor, which will be curated on a revolving basis by each of the studio spaces. Victor Besa / The National
The house itself has its own artistic pedigree: it was originally the home of Mohammed Al Janahi, an Emirati actor famous for the series Ashhofan that was popular in the 1970s and 80s in the UAE. When he died, it passed on to his son, the filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi, who leased it to the artist Mohammed Al Mazrouei. Victor Besa / The National
In many ways, it is a measure of success of programmes such as the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (known as SEAF), run by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation in partnership with the Rhodes Island School of Design, which have focused on building artistic skills in the Emirates. Pictured: Maitha Abdalla's studio. Victor Besa / The National
A work in progress by Hashel Al Lamki in his studio Victor Besa / The National
