Group exhibition 'An Ocean in Every Drop' at Jameel Arts Centre explores water's cultural and social significance

Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai presents the group exhibition 'An Ocean in Every Drop,' on view through 2 April, examining water's role in shaping worldviews and sustaining life. The show features diverse works, including large-scale installations, audiovisual pieces, manuscripts, and works on paper, spanning historical and contemporary perspectives. At the entrance, Kitāb Al-Masālik wa AlMamālik, a 1331 CE book from Iran, displays a medieval Islamic map highlighting water as a connector between earthly and celestial realms. Munem Wasif's 'Dark Waters' (2019) uses black-and-white photographs and text to address forced migration of Rohingya people across the Bay of Bengal, drawing from eyewitness testimonies. Daniel Otero Torres's 'Lluvia' (2020), a six-meter-high mixed-media installation, incorporates buckets and barrels with bottled water logos to critique water commodification and access issues for indigenous communities. Sohrab Hura's video 'The Coast' (2020) captures nighttime religious festivities in a South Indian coastal village, depicting spiritual transformation through turbulent waves and an evolving soundtrack. The exhibition emphasizes humanity's interconnectedness with water, animals, plants, and other bodies, challenging individualism. Works are displayed across multiple gallery rooms, with one offering a view of a luxury hotel pool across the creek waterfront, contrasting themes of resource disparity.