Group Show: 'The Places we carry' Abu Dhabi Art

“Places We Carry” Opens at Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Showcasing 23 Artists and 120+ Works

ABU DHABI — A major new collective exhibition, Places We Carry, has opened at Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi, bringing together 23 artists and more than 120 artworks in a sweeping exploration of memory, landscape, and belonging. The exhibition, which opened on 6 January 2026, is currently on view daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Positioned as one of the gallery’s most expansive showcases to date, Places We Carry examines how cities, environments, and personal histories shape identity. Through painting, mixed media, and contemporary practices, participating artists reflect on the emotional geographies we carry within us — from childhood homes and shifting urban skylines to imagined and remembered terrains.

A key highlight of the exhibition is a powerful new painting by UAE-based Pakistani artist Soraya Sikander. Introduced by EMAG curator Ghida Ghanem, the work titled Forest (also known as After the Rain) captures the fleeting beauty of nature in a moment suspended between stillness and transformation.

Ghanem describes the painting as possessing a distinctive ephemeral quality. Far from a static landscape, Forest unfolds as a living, breathing environment — moving beyond representation to convey the psychological depth and quiet intensity of the natural world. The work invites viewers into an immersive space where memory and atmosphere merge.

With its scale and thematic resonance, Places We Carry positions itself as a timely reflection on movement, migration, and emotional attachment to place, offering audiences in the capital a multifaceted cultural experience at the start of the new year.

'Forest' 2026 by Soraya Sikander on display now at Etihad Modern Art Gallery