421 is 10: Abu Dhabi’s 421 Arts Campus celebrates decade of proud achievement
- Last updated: October 2, 2025 | 10:42
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
421 Arts Campus, the independent arts platform in Abu Dhabi dedicated to supporting emerging artists and creative practitioners from the UAE and the wider Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region, celebrates its 10-year anniversary on November 15, 2025. “Over the past decade, 421 has supported more than 1,500 emerging creative practitioners, presented over 50 exhibitions including solo, group and travelling shows, and commissioned hundreds of new works across visual art, design, performance, and writing,” says the arts major.
“The institution has also delivered around 2,000 impactful programmes across residencies, grants and exhibitions, alongside various public programmes from talks to workshops, film screenings, symposia and special events, while training and mentoring more than 60 interns and creative facilitators.
“In addition, 421 has worked with over 250 regional designers through Dukkan421, its design store and platform dedicated to supporting and highlighting artists with design-led practices. Together, these efforts have engaged thousands of creatives and participants, shaping 421 into a vital hub for emergent creative practices.”
As the UAE’s art scene continues to grow - propelled by major cultural institutions, art fairs, and a robust art market - independent platforms are playing an increasingly crucial role in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable cultural landscape. Since its founding, 421 has established itself as a cornerstone of this ecosystem, championing a community-led model that places process, participation, and experimentation at its heart.
Through its commissioning programmes, the platform invests in capability-building, research, and long-term support for emerging artists and cultural practitioners. Through its year-round programming and core initiatives, including the Artistic Residency Program, Artistic and Curatorial Development Programs and the Artistic Research Grant, 421 has come to be known as a home for rigorous experimentation, collaborative inquiry and artist-first practices, that define the present and next generation of cultural voices in the region.
421 Arts Campus has opened doors, unlocked opportunities and equipped artists and creative practitioners with the skills, experience and platforms, to advance their careers, in turn strengthening the UAE’s talent pipeline and the wider arts ecosystem. Serving as a launchpad for talent, the arts body has supported artists transition from early career stages to regional biennials, international residencies, and established gallery representation.
Examples include Maitha Abdullah, Alla Abdunabi, Ammar Al Attar, Salem AlSuwaidi, Nasser Alzayani, Asma Belhamar, Fatima Belkis and Onur Gokmen, Vikram Divecha, Hashel Al Lamki, Moza Al Matrooshi, Engy Mohsen, Augustine Paredes, Mahshid Rafiei, Nahla Tabbaa, and Asim Waqif, among others. 421 has also supported curators like Meitha Almazrouei, Ritika Biswas, Mona Jadir, Lina Ramadan, Sara Bin Safwan, Dima Srouji, Faysal Tabbarah and Kayfa Ta (Ala Younis and Maha Maamoun); designers like Rasha Dakkak and Dina Khorshid; and design collectives, including 100/100 Best Arabic Posters and The Looming Council.
Faisal Al Hassan, 421 Director said that “at 421 Arts Campus, we believe emerging voices are vital. Over the past decade, we have nurtured emerging creative practitioners and supported those harnessing the arts as an agent for social inquiry and transformation. Their work ignites new ways of thinking, questions the status quo, and opens space to reimagine how we live, connect, and create. We are deeply grateful to our community, from artists and curators to peer institutions, arts professionals, and all our stakeholders, whose support has been essential to our journey. Looking ahead, we will carry forward the lessons learned, remain responsive to the needs of our community, and continue creating space for bold, transformative ideas.”
421 Arts Campus’ 10th anniversary public programme is centered around revisiting landmark programmes from the past decade, exploring the campus and its impact as it exists today, and imagining collective futures by activating the space through collaborative walks and technical labs. The season spans lectures, community archiving, practical demonstrations and creative reflection, inviting artists, cultural professionals and the public to imagine new ways of preserving memory and shape knowledge, while inhabiting the everyday. Anchored in the spirit of collective authorship, the programme brings together diverse voices, ranging from neighbourhood plants to speculative soundscapes and junk journals, to form a living, participatory portrait of 421. The programme also includes a special birthday edition of Block Barty, the vibrant arts festival featuring pop-up activations, live performances, creative vendors, and Abu Dhabi’s favourite food and beverage concepts.
To mark the decade of activity, an impact report will encapsulate 421’s evolution over the past 10 years, chronicling its journey, milestones, and adaptations in vision, mission, strategy, and identity. Capturing the voices of early collaborators, artists, curators, team members and stakeholders, it will reflect on how their experiences with 421 shaped their practices, careers, and creative trajectories. Located in Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed, 421 presents a year-round programme of exhibitions, talks, workshops, special events, and educational initiatives that offer accessible learning opportunities to the wider community and the general public.
Many of the 421 programmes are organised in collaboration with local, regional, and international partners, engaging children, students, educators and creative professionals, in a participatory approach to artistic and creative practice. Previously known as Warehouse421, 421 was established in 2015 inside a renovated warehouse, repurposed as an exhibition and community space featuring galleries, studios, courtyards, co-working spaces, library and cafe and a public, outdoor plaza that serves as a multipurpose venue for film screenings, symposia, performances, art installations, and other programmes. The 421 campus is also home to a number of permanent art installations commissioned for exhibitions that were previously presented inside 421 galleries.