Intersecting Realities: The Stairway Exhibitions at The Arts Club Dubai

The Arts Club, originally established in London in 1863 as a gathering  place for leading minds in art, literature and science, brought its storied legacy to the UAE with the opening of The Arts Club Dubai in 2020. Spread across 6000 square metres in the heart of DIFC, the club offers more than refined interiors. With a permanent collection and a vibrant programme of rotating exhibitions spanning the first and second floor landings, The Arts Club Dubai celebrates the meeting of local talent and international artistic voices while acting as a haven for creativity and a place for discussion starters. The Stairway Exhibition series has notably showcased renowned artists including Huguette Caland, Akram Zaatari and El Anatsui, among many others.

Arranged over two levels, the latest exhibitions feature works by Mandy El-Sayegh and Sarah Al Mehairi in a thought-provoking journey that navigates space, introspection and materiality. Curated by Amelie von Wedel and Pernilla Holmes of Wedel Art, the exhibition establishes a conversation between the two artists; Al Mehairi focuses on the relationship between architecture and abstraction, while El-Sayegh’s works delve into layers of cultural, political and historical narratives through material and form.

Al Mehairi’s abstract approach redefines meaning by exploring geometric forms and structures. Through a deliberate process of layering and material investigation, she develops visual and tactile themes of construction, memory and identity. Her exhibition, I Construct What I Want to Disrupt: Misaligned Enjambements, is bolstered by three monumental works that push the boundaries of both scale and perception. The sheer size of the paintings immediately commands attention, but it is the relationship between these works and the space that truly elevates the experience. Taking inspiration from the venue’s wallpaper, Al Mehairi incorporates rich tones into her pieces, drawing the viewer’s focus toward the dialogue between form and surface. 

The compositions show a particularly delicate balance between the canvas and the environment. In some pieces, sections of the canvas are cut out to expose the surface behind, effectively integrating the club’s walls into the artwork. With each piece  balance emerges between the intentional and the unexpected.

In contrast to Al Mehairi’s architectural approach, El-Sayegh’s Burning Square presents a complex layering of cultural, political and social fragments. The works combine various materials, including newsprint, advertising imagery, anatomical drawings and fragments of her father’s calligraphy. The result is an intricate composition that examines the intersection of cultural, political and personal symbols. Her dense, layered technique creates fragmented visual fields that reflect the complexity of contemporary communication and cultural inheritance. Each artwork invites a deciphering of its intricate visual language as El-Sayegh analyses the ways in which meaning is formed and changed by the accumulation of fragments.

A handprinted grid backdrop acts as the primal base to El-Sayegh’s pieces. In Burning Square: Free from I and Net-Grid Study (Time Capture 13.11.23), the layered grids impose a sense of structure while prompting the viewer’s perception of authority and legitimacy. The choice of the Financial Times, with its neutral toned pages, enhances this argument, linking the body to economics and power. The material itself – newspaper and financial data – becomes a metaphor for the way in which individual lives are captured and reduced to abstract figures in systems that are perpetuated on a global scale. 

Together, Al Mehairi’s and El-Sayegh’s works navigate the tension between precise lines and the interior space. While El-Sayegh’s disjointed compositions explore the relationship between history, identity and power, Al Mehairi’s meticulous use of structure and space initiates a conversation about the limits between an artwork and its surroundings. Both artists challenge the viewer to reevaluate how meaning is created and how control systems are questioned through art, allowing for a deeper engagement with the nature of abstraction and providing more than just visual experiences. For those who venture into these spaces between art, architecture and cultural narrative, the experience at The Arts Club Dubai is not just visual but intellectual, a compelling reflection on how we make sense of the world around us. 

I Construct What I Want to Disrupt: Misaligned Enjambements and Burning Square both run until October