421 Arts Campus

A Guide to Abu Dhabi's World-class Museums and Galleries

"The latter-day answer to the Cultural Center is 421, a 12,000-square-foot converted warehouse space near the docks. It’s run by Faisal Al Hassan, whose role is to give young artists their first break — Hashel Al Lamki was one of the project’s beneficiaries. When I visited, 421’s main exhibit was devoted to Ammar Al Attar, a photographer and performance artist. Al Attar has a day job as a government office worker, which inspired 'Out of Range,' a series of videos and photographs that encapsulate the sense of boredom and stagnation many people felt when working from home during the COVID lockdowns." - John Arlidge

"While the United Arab Emirates is young, the region's rich heritage is timeless. Warehouse421 is an Abu Dhabi space like no other—it serves as a cultural center, museum, art gallery, and creative-community hub for regional artists who put together exhibitions and events based on Emirati traditions. Presentations focus on everything from the classic garb to the legendary perfumes of the UAE and the bedouin tribes whose existence here precedes the nation's founding. Warehouse421 also hosts workshops where you can learn traditional art and object-fabrication skills from experts in their fields. On your way out, take a look across the street at the lot filled with old dhows waiting to return to the waters of the Persian Gulf in the shadow of the Abu Dhabi skyline."