Dubai Art Gallery Turns 20, And It's Got A Gift For You

Visitors stepping into The Third Line gallery on September 18 will be treated to a rare feast - around 70 poetic and thought-provoking works by illustrious artists like Farah Al Qasimi, Laleh Khorramian, Shirin Aliabadi, Rana Begum, Nima Nabavi, Lamya Gargash and others, all placed along a timeline reminding us of the major technological, political and cultural currents that have shaped the new millennium.

This unique gesture uniting The Third Line's past and present is part of the gallery's landmark 20th anniversary celebrations. Curated by Shumon Basar, The Only Way Out Is Through: The Twentieth Line pays homage to the gallery's journey with artworks from every artist currently on its roster, alongside a series of pop-ups, titled Flash Sales Specials, and a spate of insightful conversations featuring pivotal voices from the gallery's history.

For the pop-up, Basar will unearth long-unseen pieces from the gallery's extensive archive, bringing them together for just 48 hours, an intriguing format that echoes the fleeting nature of Instagram Stories. The exhibition's title The Only Way Out Is Through, at once powerful and intentional, draws inspiration from a refrain that nods to both survival and a surrender to fate.“It's a significant moment for us, symbolising two decades of commitment to supporting artistic voices and fostering dialogue between the local and the global,” says longtime Dubai resident Sunny Rahbar, who co-founded The Third Line with Claudia Cellini and Omar Ghobash in 2005. When the idea to mount the 20th anniversary show came up, Rahbar quickly got writer and curator Basar - whom she's known for almost 20 years - on board.“My idea for the anniversary exhibition was to chart these 20 years through artworks drawn from the gallery's archive and set them against other histories - Dubai's, the region's and the world,” explains Basar, who arrived in Dubai from London the same year The Third Line started.

On her part, Rahbar is visibly excited to reunite with all the artists she has championed over the decades - several of whom have since become well-known names in contemporary art. She proudly mentions her work with the Iranian legend Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (1922-2019), who was famous for incorporating traditional reverse glass painting, mirror mosaics, and principles of Islamic geometry with a modern sensibility to create category-defying sculptures and installations.“I met Monir at her studio in Tehran in early 2007. She was the first female Iranian artist to have held a solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Today, there's a museum in her name in Iran,” says Rahbar, whose gallery has hosted a number of Monir's solo shows, including Recollections in 2007, Kaleidoscope in 2011, Monir Farmanfarmaian: 2004-2013 in 2013, Infinite Geometry in 2016, and The Breeze at Dawn Has Secrets to Tell You in 2018. Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige have also been longtime collaborators. The artist duo is known for its multidisciplinary practice that sits at the intersection of filmmaking, photography and installation. Their work, through the twin themes of memory and history, profoundly engages with Lebanese culture and its political realities.

Since its inception, The Third Line has sought to make deeper connections with artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region and its diaspora, showcasing their art and giving them international exposure while also simultaneously nurturing them and actively shaping their careers. When Rahbar speaks about her artists there's a palpable sense of satisfaction and gratitude in her voice.“Many of our currently represented artists have worked with us since the beginning, including Amir H. Fallah, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Lamya Gargash, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Rana Begum, Youssef Nabil, and the late Tarek Al-Ghoussein. Our relationship is built on trust, risk-taking and a shared belief in the importance of storytelling from the MENASA region and its diasporas,” says Rahbar, who has previously worked in New York and London.

One of The Third Line's original goals was to spotlight regional voices, giving them a space for experimentation, creating a market for them, and placing their works in major collections of the world. For instance, the Emirati artist Farah Al Qasimi and Qatar-born Sophia Al-Maria have found a haven in The Third Line. While Al Qasimi's vibrant photographic practice explores the threads of identity, culture, and everyday life in the Gulf, the Frieze London Artist Award 2025 winner Sophia's multidisciplinary universe spans film, writing and performance, and comments on cultural identity, futurism, and gender in the Gulf and beyond.“These young women have brought narratives of the Gulf to global audiences with great nuance. Take, another Emirati artist Lamya Gargash whose work depicts the haunting beauty of semi-abandoned and overlooked spaces,” Rahbar says, about the 43-year-old who was selected for Art Here 2024 at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The Majlis Gallery is generally recognised as Dubai's first art gallery established way back in 1989 while The Third Line, along with XVA and Green Art Gallery, ranks among the oldest contemporary spaces in the 'City of Gold.' These days, video art is as common as a painting on the wall but that wasn't the case when the young and upcoming The Third Line exhibited a cycle of cutting-edge multimedia works by Laleh Khorramian in 2006, which included her animations Sophie and Goya (2004) and Chopperlady (2004). They were shown at a time when Dubai's art market was still nascent and the audience's appetite and taste for video and new media-based art wasn't as sophisticated as it is today. Ahead of its time, The Third Line possessed what you might call 'the third eye.'“When we opened The Third Line, I was in my mid-20s, teaming up with artists of my own generation. We wanted to present art of our time, which naturally included video work,” says Rahbar.“At the time, showing such work was challenging, as an understanding of new media works was yet to be cultivated. But it was important to us to take those risks and give artists the freedom to express themselves in whatever medium they chose.”

The name, 'The Third Line', was derived from a poem by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi - a suggestion from Rahbar's father. The journey has been marked by the usual highs and lows. One anecdote has it that the gallery's inaugural exhibition at its permanent space (a warehouse in Al Quoz 3) got delayed due to ongoing renovations, forcing Rahbar and the co-founders Claudia Cellini and Omar Ghobash to scramble for a Plan B.“Fortunately, we had an artist next door who offered his studio and that's how we managed to open our very first show,” she smiles, as she looks back at the road travelled so far - not always smooth but worth it. When The Third Line opened its doors, there were not many galleries in Dubai. Starting and sustaining one has come with its own share of challenges. What has been the biggest hurdle?“Building awareness and educating audiences about contemporary art from the region has been a challenge. Another has been navigating the rapid pace of change in Dubai. The city evolved so quickly that the infrastructure for art, including collectors, museums, and cultural institutions, was constantly catching up. We had to be adaptive and patient,” reflects Rahbar, whose Iranian parents found refuge in Dubai around 1980 and as a result, she grew up here among a cosmopolitan expatriate population.

Not surprisingly then, The Third Line's rise has coincided alongside UAE's thriving art scene. Today, the Emirates has positioned itself as a cultural powerhouse, thanks to influential institutions like Louvre Abu Dhabi, Art Dubai, Sharjah Art Foundation, Jameel Arts Centre, Barjeel Art Foundation, and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Neighbouring Saudi Arabia is also vying for cultural dominance, with Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and AlUla busy attracting art lovers from all over the world, whereas Qatar's artistic landscape has just added Art Basel Qatar to its power list. Perhaps, there might be no better way to describe Dubai's booming art market than likening it to another of UAE's modern-day success stories, the Emirates Airlines. The carrier connected Dubai to the global circuit, making it a vital hub for commuters. Similarly, Dubai's art and cultural scene exemplifies the 'local is global and global is local' philosophy.“Thanks to its international power and reach, Dubai has become a cultural leader and all this is because of a heady mix of the city's strategic location, visionary leadership and its entrepreneurial spirit,” concedes Rahbar, whose high-flying gallery is among the many institutions that have flourished alongside Dubai's astonishing economic growth, due to its thoughtful curatorial approach, diverse programming and most importantly, a much-needed focus on artists from the MENASA region.

The Only Way Out Is Through: The Twentieth Line will be on view at The Third Line gallery, Alserkal Avenue from September 18 until November 7.

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