Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Harry Potter celebration and works by four Emirati artists

Embroidery, weaving, painting, photography, film and wizardry on offer

The ME Dubai Hotel hosts the exhibition Emirati Art At Me. Photo: Dubai ME Hotel

An eclectic selection of local and international art and a celebration of pop culture makes up our list this week.

Highlights include a solo exhibition large-scale drawings and textile art; multidisciplinary Emirati artists whose works span embroidery, weaving, painting, photography and film; and a Harry Potter exhibition arriving in the Middle East for the first time.

Here are three exhibitions to check out this week.

Garden of Murmurs: Malik Thomas Jalil Kydd at Carbon 12

Malik Thomas Jalil Kydd, They Invaded at Night, 2025. Photo: Carbon 12

Iraqi-British artist Malik Thomas Jalil Kydd’s debut solo exhibition, Garden of Murmurs, is on view at Carbon 12. It showcases several years’ worth of work as the collection brings together large-scale pieces that merge painting, drawing and textile practices, all woven around themes of introspection and the varied meanings of love.

Silk serves as the foundation for much of the work as Kydd stitches together panels of raw silk, dyed with natural materials like sage, to form his canvas. On to this surface, he layers gestural abstractions using oil, pastel, charcoal and organic dyes, creating richly textured compositions.

At the heart of the exhibition are representations of the male figure, rendered slightly larger than life – a scale the artist describes as “angel scale.” These figures become a vessel through which Kydd explores materiality, identity and culture, while simultaneously conjuring moments of calm amid echoes of destruction and loss.

Until August 23; Monday to Saturday, 11.30am to 7pm; Carbon 12, Dubai

Harry Potter: The Exhibition at Manarat Al Saadiyat

Harry Potter: The Exhibition is a celebration of the franchise and its fans. Photo: Proactiv Entertainment

Harry Potter: The Exhibition has arrived in the UAE for the first time, opening in Abu Dhabi's Manarat Al Saadiyat. Part of a global tour that began in Philadelphia in 2022, the immersive experience has stopped in cities such as New York, Paris and Melbourne, drawing 3.7 million visitors worldwide.

The exhibition is a celebration of the franchise and its fans, as it rewards those most passionate about the books and films with displays of costumes and memorabilia. It features 25 unique rooms, each with an homage to a specific locale or scene from the stories.

Until September 21; Open daily, except Tuesday; various timings; Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi

Emirati Art At Me, Medad – Edition 1 at ME Dubai Hotel

Emirati Art At Me features the works of four Emirati artists. Photo: Dubai ME Hotel

ME by Melia Dubai has launched Emirati Art At Me, the first instalment of its new Medad exhibition series curated by Emirati creative Abdulla Khalid Al Shamsi.

It showcases works by four multidisciplinary Emirati artists: Maitha Abdullah Al Remeithi, Faris Al Hammadi, Elham Khairalla, and Dana Hisham Aljneibi. The exhibition features embroidery, weaving, painting, photography and film, exploring heritage through a contemporary lens.

Named after the Arabic word for “ink,” Medad celebrates storytelling, culture and artistic expression within a design-focused hotel setting.

Until August 31; Emirati Art At Me, Medad – Edition 1 is open daily; ME Dubai Hotel, Dubai