Lawrie Shabibi Gallery in Dubai

Editorial Profile

Lawrie Shabibi is an established contemporary art gallery based in Al Quoz, a district central to galleries in Dubai and the broader development of contemporary art in Dubai. Founded in 2011, the gallery has built a program that foregrounds artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, while also engaging with international practices that resonate with its curatorial framework. Its positioning is defined by a sustained commitment to critical, research-driven work, often addressing themes related to cultural memory, language, geopolitics, and the circulation of images. Within the Dubai context, the gallery operates as both a commercial space and a site of discourse, contributing to a scene that balances market activity with intellectual and experimental inquiry.

The program encompasses a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, installation, video, and text-based practices, reflecting an emphasis on conceptual approaches and interdisciplinary production. Artists represented by the gallery frequently engage with archival material, narrative structures, and forms of translation, situating their work within broader global conversations while remaining attentive to specific regional contexts. Exhibitions tend to be carefully structured, often extending beyond presentation into publication and research formats. Through regular participation in international art fairs and collaborations, the gallery maintains a visible presence beyond Dubai, connecting its program to wider institutional and curatorial networks. At the same time, its sustained engagement with local audiences and artists reinforces its role in shaping the intellectual and material conditions of the city’s contemporary art landscape.