Maitha Abdalla Explores Identity and Emotion in Solo Exhibition at Cultural Foundation
ABU DHABI, 26th May, 2025 – Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi is hosting a striking solo exhibition, Maitha Abdalla: Between Metamorphosis and Reality, that delves deep into the emotional and symbolic layers of human identity, storytelling, and self-expression. The exhibition by Emirati multidisciplinary artist Maitha Abdalla runs until August 30, 2025, showcasing the depth and dynamism of UAE’s contemporary art scene.
Known for her powerful visual language that fuses painting with sculpture, Abdalla’s work explores complex psychological and cultural themes such as transformation, folklore, and societal pressures. The exhibition brings forward a captivating interplay between fantasy and reality, guiding visitors through an imaginative realm where personal narrative, collective mythology, and symbolic forms entwine.
Abdalla’s artistic process blends abstraction and figurative elements, creating a dreamlike atmosphere filled with both familiarity and enigma. Her pieces move beyond traditional categories—merging painting, sculpture, film, photography, drawing, and performance. Drawing on theatrical influences, she constructs visual stories that are intimate and emotionally resonant, often portraying characters within enclosed domestic spaces to reflect vulnerability and inner turmoil.
Applying oil and acrylic directly with her fingertips and using charcoal in loose, gestural smears, Abdalla’s method is deeply physical and expressive. This tactile, immersive approach adds a visceral quality to her art that resonates with spectators, turning the act of creation into a performative experience. Her work is not only viewed; it is felt.
Themes of birth, death, guilt, and transformation emerge throughout the exhibition, offering a poignant look at the intersection of personal memory and collective myth. Through dramatic compositions layered with texture and emotion, Abdalla invites viewers to inhabit her narrative world—one brimming with introspection, melancholy, and imagination.
In conjunction with the exhibition, an artist talk will take place on May 28, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The discussion, moderated by Munira Al Sayegh, Lead Curator and Founder of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, promises a revealing exploration of Abdalla’s career and artistic philosophy. The dialogue will delve into major elements of her practice, including the delicate tensions between visibility and vulnerability, the symbolic role of language and the physical form, and the power of ritual in artistic processes.
Abdalla’s recent residency at the Cultural Foundation will also be a focal point of the conversation, offering insights into how time and space dedicated to creation have informed her latest works.
Between Metamorphosis and Reality stands not just as an exhibition, but as a creative journey through emotion, memory, and self-discovery. It reinforces Maitha Abdalla’s position as a bold voice in the Emirati art world—one that finds power in the personal, and transformation in the creative act.
Team V.4-EM-UAE
