Ala Younis's Retrospective at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery Explores Imaginaries and Architecture
Ala Younis's midcareer exhibition, titled "Past of a Temporal Universe," was held at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery from September 23, 2025, to January 18, 2026. Curated by Maya Allison, the show featured nearly twenty years of Younis's multimedia creations, such as '70s-inspired mosaics of Metabolist structures in Dubai, early artworks depicting Amman, and "Tin Soldiers" (2010–12), which included hand-painted metal figures representing nine Middle Eastern armies. Additionally, "Enactment" (2017) delved into the roots of Middle Eastern performance art. The "Friendship Garden" series (2023–24) reconstructed gardens, while "Plan for Greater Baghdad" (2015–18) focused on the contributions of overlooked women in Iraqi modern architecture. The exhibition highlighted the complexities of non-linear nation-building, intertwining political narratives, pop culture, and regional identities. John Varghese captured the event through photography.
Key facts
- Exhibition title: Past of a Temporal Universe
- Artist: Ala Younis
- Venue: NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery
- Dates: September 23, 2025–January 18, 2026
- Curator: Maya Allison
- Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Featured works include mosaics, Tin Soldiers, Enactment, Friendship Garden series, and Plan for Greater Baghdad
- Photographer: John Varghese
Entities
Artists
- Ala Younis
- Maya Allison
- Zaha Hadid
- Rifat Chadirji
- Jewad Selim
- Riad Sattouf
- Naima Morelli
- John Varghese
- Masha Kirasirova
Institutions
- NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery
- Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Majid
- New York University Abu Dhabi
- NYUAD Art Gallery
- al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art
- Arts and Humanities Research Forums
- Kayfa ta
- University of Jordan
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- Le Frac Centre-Val de Loire
- Darat al Funun
- Uppsala Art Museum
- Barjeel Art Foundation
- Sharjah Art Foundation
- Jameel Art Collection
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Majid Magazine
- New Museum
- Berlinale's Forum Expanded
- Academy of the Arts of the World
- e-flux
- Nafas Art
- Mizna Journal
- Ibraaz
- Creative Time
- Camera Austria
- Divan Journal
- Flash Art
Locations
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- Dubai
- Amman
- Jordan
- Iraq
- Baghdad
- Middle East
- Gulf
- Asia Pacific
- MENA region
- Saadiyat Island
- New York
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Dhaka
- Bangladesh
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Venice
- Italy
- Gwangju
- South Korea
- Ural
- Russia
- Orléans
- France
- Ljubljana
- Slovenia
- Kaunas
- Lithuania
- Sharjah
- Jeddah
- Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait
- Singapore
- Cologne
- Germany