Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide, from relationships with animals to influence of nature

Plus, abstract paintings based on Australian landscapes

Jameel Arts Centre’s new group exhibition Three Tired Tigers is both a playful and serious look into humanity's bond with animals. Photo: Jameel Arts Centre

In several new exhibitions across the country, humanity's relationship with the environment is explored, from barren landscapes and concepts of nature, to our history alongside the animal world.

Here are four exhibitions to check out this weekend.

Nature's Pulse: Until November 4 at Leila Heller Gallery

Maria Jose Benvenuto's paintings are inspired by the Australian landscape. Photo: Leila Heller Gallery

A solo exhibition featuring the works of Chilean-Australian artist Maria Jose Benvenuto is a bold and vibrant showcase inspired by the landscapes of Australia.

Specifically drawing from the terrain of the North Head National Park in Manly, the setting of Benvenuto's creative space, the abstract paintings were created through intuition and instinct. They capture the energy of nature through contrasting colours, forms and dynamic compositions.

Monday to Friday, 10am-7pm; Saturdays, 11am-7pm; until November 4; Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Mirrors from the Sidewalk: Until November 10 at Tabari Artspace

Alymamah Rashed's work explores spirituality though the immediate environment. Photo: Tabari Artspace

Kuwaiti artist Alymamah Rashed’s new solo exhibition takes viewers on a surreal journey, exploring one of her overall body of work's central themes. Through large-scale watercolour and oil canvases, Rashed delves deep into bodily connections with specific environments, and explores elements that can guide, trigger or facilitate spiritual awakenings.

In this exhibition, Rashed focuses on the concept of the body immersing itself within the elements – water, earth and sky – while also depicting these stylised bodies through floral elements and the everyday objects she collects in Kuwait.

Monday to Friday, 10am-6pm; until November 10; the DIFC, Dubai

Fever: Until January 11 at Nika Project Space

Christiane Peschek’s exhibition is based on field research in the Liwa Desert. Photo: Nika Project Space

Austrian artist Christiane Peschek’s solo exhibition explores the notion of being in a feverish dream where the human body is connected to concepts of the landscape and climate change.

Inspired by field research in the Liwa Desert, Peschek created a barren landscape within the human body. The gallery has been transformed to exist between these two elements, the body and the barren land where, for example, the gallery windows have been coloured orange to evoke both the UAE’s sunsets and the idea of being within one’s anatomy.

Monday to Saturday, 11am-7pm; until January 11; Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai

Three Tired Tigers: November 2 to March 16 at Jameel Arts Centre

Fatigued Ten Horses Converse with Nothing by Kadhim Hayder, painted in 1965. Photo: Jameel Arts Centre

Around 40 artists from more than 20 countries will be showcasing works that depict our relationship with animals at Jameel Arts Centre. Drawing from politics, history, economics and urbanism the works explore the playful and serious human-animal relationships across the world.

Spanning five galleries, the exhibition immerses visitors to consider the urban habitats animals have come to occupy, from zoos to museums and street and public squares, the works reveal how animals have survived and also thrived through centuries of human classification and control.

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-8pm; Fridays, noon-8pm, closed Tuesdays; Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai