Three Tired Tigers at Jameel Arts Centre reimagines Dubai through animal perspectives

Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai presents Three Tired Tigers, a group exhibition curated by Lucas Morin exploring urban environments from non-human viewpoints. Running until 16 March 2025, the show features over 40 artists and collectives primarily from Global South regions where animals maintain significant daily roles. The exhibition unfolds across five thematic galleries examining zoos, streets, symbols of power, urban edges, and controlled skies. Annika Eriksson's video The Community (2010) documents abandoned cats in Istanbul, while Khalid Jauffer's For Cats Only (2024) designs anonymous shelters for Dubai's street cats. Pilar Quinteros' Tigres Prestidigitadores (2019) reimagines Santiago's bronze lions as colonial critique, and Chim↑Pom's SUPER RAT Scrap & Build (2006/2011) features a taxidermied rat painted as Pikachu. Sammy Baloji's Essay on Urban Planning (2013) interrogates colonial segregation in Lubumbashi, and Heba Y Amin's As Birds Flying (2016) references Egypt's 2013 espionage stork incident. Farah Al Qasimi's Falcon Hospital 2 (2016) captures falcon treatment in Abu Dhabi, and Jason Dodge's Tiger Door (2016) installs a cat flap in the gallery. Mark Salvatus' outdoor installation Claws (2016/2024) invites feline participation. The exhibition challenges anthropocentric urban readings by highlighting how animals adapt to human-dominated spaces, with Dubai's street cats serving as primary inspiration.