Efie Gallery celebrates its new home in Alserkal Avenue with The Shape of Things to Come, a landmark group exhibition curated by Japan-based American curator Dexter Wimberly.
Running from 11 October 2025 to 10 January 2026, the show assembles an extraordinary roster of contemporary artists, El Anatsui, Iman Issa, Abdoulaye Konaté, Adam Pendleton, Yinka Shonibare and Carrie Mae Weems.
At its core, the exhibition reflects on how art mirrors the turbulence of contemporary life. “At the heart of this exhibition lies the belief that art can reflect the complexities of a rapidly changing world,” says Wimberly. “These artists push the boundaries of their mediums, using bold colour, unexpected textures and unconventional materials to capture the transformations shaping contemporary society.”
Each voice adds a different register. El Anatsui, renowned for intricate metal sculptures and transformative use of bottle caps and other found materials into works of art layered with histories of cultural exchange and sustainability. Iman Issa reimagines historical artefacts in her ongoing series ‘Heritage Studies’. Abdoulaye Konaté contributes an expansive textile tableau, eight metres wide, drawing on the West African tradition of using textiles as language to reflect on struggle, ecology and resilience.
From his Black Dada series, Adam Pendleton presents work layering gesture, language and abstraction to echo the fragmented experience of contemporary life.
Yinka Shonibare’s Hybrid Mask series fuses African and European references through Dutch wax textiles, exploring the cultural identity, hybridity and the legacies of colonial exchange. Carrie Mae Weems, an acclaimed artist whose work gives a voice to those who are forced into silence, revisits her 1993 series ‘Africa’, photographing architecture in Ghana, Senegal and Mali to reveal how gender and power are expressed in architecture.
Together, their works spark a dialogue on upheaval, environmental change and shifting identities, themes that feel especially resonant in Dubai, a city shaped by cultural exchange.
The exhibition affirms Efie Gallery’s vision of connecting African voices with global audiences, making its Alserkal Avenue space a key destination this season.
Visit: efiegallery.com
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.
