Curated by Abdulla Khalid Al Shamsi, the inaugural Medad – Edition 1 exhibition brings together four UAE artists reinterpreting heritage through modern mediums
Dubai, UAE – July 2025: ME by Meliá Dubai proudly unveils EMIRATI ART AT ME, the first in its newly launched Medad exhibition series, curated by Emirati creative Abdulla Khalid Al Shamsi. A passionate advocate for storytelling through space and experience, Al Shamsi brings together four multidisciplinary Emirati artists whose works, spanning embroidery, weaving, painting, photography, and film, reflect the evolving language of local heritage. Designed to be felt as much as seen, Medad blends atmosphere with narrative, honouring tradition while pushing the boundaries of contemporary cultural expression.
Medad translates to “ink” in Arabic, a name chosen to symbolise the lasting imprint of storytelling and cultural legacy. The exhibition invites guests and visitors to experience a new chapter of contemporary Emirati art, brought to life inside one of Dubai’s most design-driven hotels. As a space where creativity, culture, and community meet, ME by Meliá Dubai continues to serve as a platform for local talent, offering thoughtful perspectives within a luxury lifestyle setting.
Featured Artists Include:
- Maitha Abdullah Al Remeithi, a photographer, filmmaker, and director from Dubai, brings cinematic depth and emotional resonance to her work. A graduate of Zayed University, Maitha’s imagery captures fleeting moments and everyday rituals, transforming them into visual stories that reflect both the soul of the UAE and the universality of human experience.
- Faris Al Hammadi, a visual artist, educator, and founder of Faris Al Hammadi Fine Arts Studio, is recognised for his expressive oil portraits and nature-inspired works. With a practice rooted in traditional techniques and pigment extraction, Faris bridges the academic and the emotional, layering his pieces with identity, memory, and craftsmanship.
- Elham Khairalla, a Dubai-based visual artist, researcher, and co-founder of Sjadna weaving centre, focuses on preserving and reimagining traditional craft. Her work explores themes of femininity, environment, and generational legacy through tactile forms, transforming weaving into a living dialogue between past and present.
- Dana Hisham Aljneibi, an embroidery artist from Sharjah, transforms thread into language. Her detailed needlework reinterprets architecture, geometry, and rhythm into contemporary stitched canvases. Dana’s work repositions embroidery as a modern visual art form, intimate, layered, and deeply personal.
EMIRATI ART AT ME, Medad – Edition 1 runs this summer at ME by Meliá Dubai, offering guests and the community a glimpse into UAE creativity and marking the start of the hotel’s ongoing commitment to regional cultural expression.
