Opening 16 December 2025 – 22 February 2026, Proximities is a significant new group exhibition that brings together the work of artists long embedded in the dynamic and ever-transforming cultural landscape of the United Arab Emirates. On view at Seoul Museum of Art, the show brings together more than 80 works by 46 artists spanning three generations, including Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Ala Younis, Rand Abduljabbar and Jumairy. This milestone exhibition is the most comprehensive presentation of contemporary art from the UAE ever held in Korea.

Spanning photography, video, painting, sculpture, performance and installation, the exhibition traces how meaning transforms across generations and geographies, revealing subtle shifts shaped by exchange and cultural context. Presented by Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Seoul Museum of Art as part of Abu Dhabi Festival, the exhibition examines how different forms of proximity – emotional, geographic, shared cultures and narratives – inform transformations without erasing difference. The exhibition is being held under the honorary founding patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Founding Honorary Patron of Abu Dhabi Festival.

Co-curated by Maya El Khalil and Eunju Kim, the exhibition unfolds through three propositions, each theme developed in partnership with artist collaborators, including Farah Al Qasimi, Mohammed Kazem and Cristiana de Marchi, and the artist trio Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian (RRH). Each section offers a distinct way of encountering the world, with focal points merging and contrasting world views. The artists’ curatorial interventions create worlds into which peers and audiences are invited for reflection, dialogue and discovery.

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