A powerful new interactive art exhibition exploring identity, memory and belonging
Abu Dhabi’s art scene just got a little more personal as Bassam Freiha Art Foundation officially opened Home Is Not A Place, an immersive exhibition by Guatemalan artist Emilie Dubois, and it immediately struck a chord with visitors.
Now on display in the Annex Gallery, the exhibition explores a theme that feels especially relevant in the UAE: what does “home” really mean when you’re living far from where you were born?
Drawing from her own experience of building a life abroad, Dubois presents home not as a physical address, but as an emotional state; something internal, something we carry with us.
The centrepiece is an interactive living room installation that blurred the line between art and environment.
Walls, furniture and even the floors are covered in broad, expressive brushstrokes, inviting visitors to quite literally step into the artwork.
Guests are encouraged to move through the space, touch it and experience it from within; a powerful way of reflecting on how we recreate comfort and belonging wherever we land.
Alongside the installation are colourful mixed-media works, including a striking piece formed by nine canvases representing fragments of lived experience.
Together, they symbolise how memories, cultures and personal histories merge to shape one evolving self; a visual reminder that everything we carry contributes to who we are.
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Michaela Watrelot, Curator and Director of Exhibitions at the foundation, highlighted how strongly the concept resonated locally. “Most residents of the UAE know what it feels like to be away from home, or to question where home actually is. Emilie Dubois expresses this beautifully through Home Is Not A Place, and why we all seek a sense of belonging wherever we go in the world,” she said.
Dubois herself reflected on the inspiration behind the show: “Inspired by the diverse, multi-cultural population of the UAE, Home Is Not A Place explores the emotional idea of home; what we take with us, what we leave behind and what we rebuild as we set down roots in a different place.
“By offering a living room installation that people could physically touch and step into, along with bold mixed-media artworks, it symbolises how it feels to build a life far from your original home. I hope it would be an exhibition that speaks to every visitor.”
Thought-provoking, immersive and deeply relatable, Home Is Not A Place opened as more than just an art exhibition; it is a shared conversation about identity, nostalgia and the quiet resilience of starting again.
For more information about the events and programmes at BFAF, please visit the website bfaf.ae
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