Stories From Women in the U.A.E.: Embassy Presents Art Exhibition

By Katherine Plunkett and Felipe Avila

The United Arab Emirates Embassy recently unveiled an art exhibition titled Where the Coffee Grounds Settle: Stories from Women in the U.A.E. in collaboration with Dirwaza Curatorial Lab. Taking place in Georgetown’s Fathom Gallery, the exhibit opened Saturday, September 23 during D.C. Art All Night, a cross-city artist event.  

The exhibit features a diverse collection of artworks by female artists from the U.A.E., including a variety of nationalities, generations, and perspectives. The inspiration for bringing together this group of artists began with the word “empower,” and examines  “how indoor social spaces, like the living room, can foster community-building among women.” 

Curator Anita Shishani discussed how the first step behind the exhibit was looking at female artists from the U.A.E. that embodied “empower” in their art. 

“How do you really tell a story that represents the whole UAE?” Shishani said.  “We started looking at what is the relationship between women, home, and community, and how have they taken on power throughout generations and how has that changed and how has it stayed the same.”

The gallery takes you through the different stages involved in a community event, beginning with pieces that reflect preparations for a celebration. As you progress through the exhibit, you encounter pieces that reflect the emotions experienced during the event itself next, before moving on to a time of deep conversation and listening after. As the event winds down, the artworks reflect a time that takes place “while the coffee grounds settle,” referring to the tradition of leaving the grounds to settle in the cup to predict your future. 

Artist Khawla Almarzooqi‘s Henna reflects the preparation stage of a wedding. In her artist’s statement, Almarzooqi writes that “before celebrations, many Emirati women would gather and wear henna and chat as they wait for it to dry, making the evening before the celebration a party on its own. Henna is about gossip and conversation just as much as it is about beauty and adornment.”

Almarzooqi specializes in digital media and painting. Her work revolves around gender, femininity, and philosophy. With her background in illustration, her work carries a strong sense of storytelling, the process of which she commented on. 

“I usually start my art practice by first talking to people, collecting stories and collecting as much as I can for information, gossip you could say, and turning that into artwork. Usually, I feel like the story chooses to be told instead of the other way around. It’s birthed from that, I would say.”

Khwala Almarzooqi is shown standing next to her painting. Courtesy of Felipe Avila.

Another artist featured in the exhibit is Rand Abdul Jabbar, who works primarily with sculpture and installation. Her work, titled Earthly Wonders is composed of four glazed stoneware sculptures influenced by Ancient Mesopotamian archaeology, architecture, and mythology as well as the “formal and material attributes of artifacts encountered in museum collections, archives and across archaeological sites.”

Abdul Jabbar discussed how her work reflects personal and collective memory through these influences. 

“A lot of my work is dealing with history and memory, which I see as almost these corresponding but contradictory elements because history is typically maintained through tangible means like relics, writings – it’s documented – and memory is something that’s really ephemeral. It’s fleeting, it’s changing, it’s fragile, it’s easily lost,” Abdul Jabbar said. “So I’m grappling between those two streams and in a way looking towards almost trying to combat this idea of forgetting.”

Rand Abdul Jabbar is shown standing next to her work. Courtesy of Felipe Avila.

The theme of community that is present in many of the artworks is also reflected in the artists themselves, which Almarzooqi discussed. 

 “It feels like everyone knows everyone and connects everyone to each other, so I feel like every time I’m in one of these shows it really feels like a part of a family in a way.” 

Many of the artists were in the same social circles, friends, and some were even family. This feeling of community was further demonstrated by the low couch and carpet along one wall of the gallery where artists, embassy staff, and visitors sat, ate, and carried out conversations with each other. 

The exhibition reflects the U.A.E.’s position as a “global juncture for the arts” in its bringing together a wide array of artistic voices. It also demonstrates the role women have played in contributing to that position. 

In the foreword to the exhibition catalog, the U.A.E. Ambassador to the U.S, H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, wrote about women’s leadership. 

“In the 50 years since the UAE’s founding, women have contributed significantly to all aspects of Emirati society in STEM, creative industries, business, government, and many more. These significant contributions have been essential to the successful development of my country, the UAE. Women’s advancement and leadership in our society will no doubt continue to expand and empower future generations.” 

The art gallery will remain open for visitation until October 14. Admission is free. More information can be found here.