The National has published a list of galleries and art spaces available in the UAE for visitor. Note that face masks and restrictions on the number of people allowed in the space are in place.
As the UAE government continues to ease lockdown restrictions, people are returning to public spaces, including parks and beaches, and businesses are beginning to reopen.
A growing number of art galleries have also started returning to regular timings, replacing the appointment-only arrangements implemented around the end of April.
For most of these reopened art spaces, the rules for entry are similar: masks must be worn at all times and a distance of two metres between people not from the same household or family must be maintained.
The below information is correct on July 1st, 2020.
The museum currently operates at 40 per cent capacity, and visitors must book slots in advance to be guaranteed entry. Visits are restricted to three hours maximum (10am to 6.30pm daily, except Mondays).
There will be no tours, but digital guides will be available to download on smartphones. Touch screens have been removed from all facilities.
Abu Dhabi’s other cultural sites, including Cultural Foundation and Qasr Al Hosn, also opened on June 24. In Al Ain, the Al Ain Oasis’s outdoor areas, Qasr Al Muwaiji, Al Jahili Fort and Al Ain Palace Museum are also back to welcoming visitors.
The cultural sites are open from 10am to 7pm between Saturdays and Thursdays, and from 2pm to 7pm on Fridays. Visitors must reserve slots online prior to their arrival.
The first phase of Sharjah Art Foundation’s reopening began on Friday, June 26. Select venues, specifically the foundation’s Al Mureijah Art Spaces and Al Mureijah Square and Rain Room Sharjah, are open to the public daily from 4pm to 9pm on Fridays and from 9am to 9pm between Saturdays and Thursdays.
All visitors are required to wear face masks. The foundation is also undertaking other safety measures, including operating at limited capacity, enhanced disinfection of spaces and temperature checks of staff and visitors.
For Rain Room Sharjah, visits are limited to five guests at a time.
Sharjah Art Museum, as well as Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation (SMIC), Sharjah Archaeology Museum and Sharjah Aquarium, are open from 10am to 6pm, Saturdays to Thursdays. The museums are closed on Fridays.
Barjeel Art Foundation‘s permanent collection A Century in Flux – Chapter II is also on view.
Sharjah’s museums will operate at 50 per cent capacity. Vistors’ temperatures will be checked prior to entry, and face masks and gloves must be worn inside. The emirate’s remaining museums will reopen gradually, following a four-phase plan outlined by the Sharjah Museums Authority.
The Centre returned is operating from 10am to 7pm from Saturday to Thursday, and 4pm to 7pm on Fridays. Temperature checks will be conducted at the entrance, with masks and gloves required for visitors.
Only 10 people are allowed into the galleries at a time, and elevators are restricted to one passenger for each ride.
Dubai’s Etihad Museum, which traces the story of how the UAE came to be, is open to visitors from 10am and 5pm daily. Its collection includes personal artefacts and interactive installations about the unification of the emirates in 1971.
Dubai Culture’s other museums, such as the Al Shindagha Museum and the Coin Museum in Al Fahidi Historical District, are also open. Timings for the former are from 10am and 5pm daily, while the latter operates from 8am to 2pm, Sunday to Thursday.
Visitors’ temperatures will be checked prior to entry, and masks must be worn inside the museums.
Naif Museum and Museum of the Poet Al Oqaili
The Naif and Poet Al Oqaili museums started welcoming visitors from 8am to 2pm, Sunday to Thursday. Both spaces operate at 50 per cent capacity and group entries are limited to five members at a time. Visitors are required to wear masks before entering the museums, and thermal scanners will be present at the entrance.
Located in Deira, the Naif Museum shows parts of Naif Castle, originally built in 1939 as the first police station in Dubai. The museum highlights the history of police in Dubai, with historical documents and decrees related to Dubai Police dating back to 1956.
The Museum of the Poet Al Oqaili is a heritage house constructed in 1923 and formerly owned by poet Mubarak bin Hamad bin Mubarak Al Manea Al Oqaili. The Emirati poet’s original documents and collections are on view.
Located along the Al Jaddaf Waterfront, Jameel Arts Centre has introduced guidelines amid the Covid-19 pandemic, including asking visitors to book a two-hour slot online before arriving, which allows the centre to monitor capacity. The venue is open daily except Tuesdays, from 10am to 6pm. Children aged below 12 and adults above the age of 60 are not allowed to visit as per UAE regulations.
As with other places in the country, visitors must undergo temperature scan at entry and wear masks. Each gallery has been designated a certain capacity, and security staff will ensure this is maintained.
1×1 Art Gallery resumed timings from 10am to 7pm earlier this month. Visitors are required to wear masks and gloves, with only eight to 10 people allowed in the space at one time.
The gallery says it is “maintaining government directives”, including ensuring that social distancing is maintained and there will be “frequent wipe-downs of common touch points”. Five visitors are allowed at a time, with mandatory face masks Saturday to Thursday from 11.30am to 7pm). Hand sanitisers are also readily available, and temperature checks are conducted at the entrance of Alserkal Avenue.
Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (IVDE)
Gallery IVDE is now open from Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am to 6pm. The space can welcome five people in at one time, with masks required for all visitors and hand sanitisers available at the entrance. Temperature scans will be conducted at the entrance of the avenue in Al Quoz, where the gallery is located.
The gallery is operating from Saturday to Thursday, 10am to 7pm. The usual measures apply, including the two-metre rule between people and the use of face masks. Temperature checks are completed at the gate of Alserkal Avenue.
Gulf Photo Plus is back to hosting photography workshops in their Al Quoz space, though with about 50 per cent reduced capacity following restrictions from the UAE government. Teachers and students must have face covered for the duration of the class, with a distance of two-metres to be maintained at all times. Classrooms are sanitised after each session.
Those looking to purchase books and film at the space are asked to refrain from touching the products, and should ask for assistance from GPP staff instead.
Meem Gallery’s current exhibition (until Sept. 19), focuses on modern Egyptian sculpture with works by Mahmoud Mokhtar, Adam Henein and Armen Agop. The show looks at three generations of Egyptian sculptors and traces the development of sculpture in modern and contemporary art, as well as the country’s heritage in the art form.
The art studio and education centre has reduced their timings to open only twice a week: Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 12pm to 6pm. Classes have not resumed yet, but visitors can use the studio for DIY painting sessions.
Temperatures will be recorded at the entrance, and visitors – who must be masked and gloved – will be required to sanitise their hands in the reception area. Children under the age of 6 are not allowed, and those aged 6 to 12 must be accompanied by a guardian. Only 25 people are allowed inside at a time.
Source: The National
