Iris Projects is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Juma Al Haj (b. 1990, UAE), whose practice explores the emotional and psychological dimensions of lived experience through abstraction, gesture and text. Interoception will open on 6 June at the gallery space in MiZa, Abu Dhabi, where the exhibition will remain on show until 6 August 2026. Curated by Shamma Al Mheiri, the exhibition is centred on the concept of “interoception”, the body’s ability to sense and process its internal state and examines how moments of crisis are internalised and transformed into material expression.
Developed in response to the first missile attacks reported in the UAE in February 2026, Interoception traces Al Haj’s instinctive return to painting as a means of processing fear, uncertainty and collective anxiety. Working through layered surfaces, fragmented script and visceral mark-making, the artist transforms deeply personal reactions into visual expressions of disruption and resilience.
Maryam Al Falasi, Founder of Iris Projects, said: “Juma Al Haj was one of the first artists I worked with and, in a way, we have grown together. It has been a privilege to witness the development of his practice over the years. While Interoception is not the exhibition we had originally envisioned, it emerged from a deeply personal response to a period of uncertainty and has developed into a significant new body of work. The exhibition highlights the important role artists play in recording the emotional and human dimensions of historical events. It comes at a significant moment in Juma’s career as he prepares to begin his MFA studies.”
Twenty-four hours after the first missile attack on his homeland was reported, Juma Al Haj was drawn to his studio, signing the first body of work, “UAE was targeted”, not knowing this would be the start of a series of works that are now markers of unprecedented times in UAE history. What began as an immediate response to a moment of geopolitical rupture gradually evolved into a visual archive of psychological and emotional states shaped by instability, fear and collective uncertainty.
Al Haj’s artistic practice goes beyond the confines of material expression and textual experimentation, deeply rooted in sensorial experiences. When in distress, he turns to journaling, pen on paper or brush on canvas interdependently. His works are deeply personal, rooted in the cognitive process of manifesting his thoughts and feelings in a way one would through diary entries. Within the exhibition, Al Haj experiments with new techniques and methods of layering with paint.
Curator Shamma Al Mheiri said: “While Interoception remains relevant to a particular geopolitical moment, Al Haj’s works ultimately addresses broader questions surrounding embodiment, collective anxiety, memory and the psychological conditions of living through uncertainty. The works speak not only to a regional experience, but to an increasingly global condition in which crisis is absorbed, processed and internalised before it is articulated through visual language.”
Press release from Iris Projects
Image: Juma Al Haj. Interoception 2026. Image courtesy of the artist
