Running remotely from October 2025 to April 2026, the six-month initiative is designed to give two emerging UAE-based artists the freedom to experiment, develop and ultimately present their work in a dedicated exhibition at the Club next spring.
The programme offers each artist a commission fee, a materials stipend and the chance to engage directly with the Club’s members through cultural programming. All works produced will be included in a silent auction, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the artists. One selected artwork will also receive a $10,000 award and be added to the Club’s permanent collection.
Ajaz Sheikh, Group CEO of The Arts Club, described the residency as a natural extension of the Club’s vision, “It provides emerging artists with the space, support, and visibility they deserve, while inviting our members to engage in the creative journey as active patrons. At its core, this initiative is about cultivating deeper relationships between artists and audiences, championing work not only to be seen, but to be sustained.”
For its debut, the residency takes on the curatorial theme ‘Singular Focus’, inviting participants to reflect on clarity and restraint in an era defined by noise and excess. The call is for works that command presence through simplicity and intent, resisting spectacle in favour of presence.
A distinguished regional advisory committee will oversee the selection and mentorship process. Members include Elie Khouri, Founder, Vivium and Chairman of Omnicom Media Group MENA and Art Patron and Collector, Laila Binbrek: Director, National Pavilion UAE - La Biennale Di Venezia, Amelie Von Wedel: Founder Wedel Art and co-chair of Intelligence Squared, Sara Abou Khalil: Art Collector, Patron and Founder of Rasam, Chafa Ghaddar: Multidisciplinary Artist and Teaching Artist and Rahul Waney: Executive Director of The Arts Club Dubai.
Applications opened on 1 September and will be accepted until 10 October, with the selected artists announced on 20 October.
Since opening its doors in 2020 as the first international outpost of London’s storied Mayfair club, The Arts Club Dubai has championed cultural dialogue as part of its DNA. The residency builds on that foundation to strengthen its role within the UAE’s creative landscape.
Visit: theartsclub.ae
Mariam Khawer is a Dubai-based writer and PR professional whose work spans food, art, and travel across the region. When she isn’t chasing deadlines, she’s likely at a gallery opening, testing out a new restaurant, piecing together one of her mixed-media art projects or at home with her four cats, who keep her on her toes.
