Zayed University Students Showcase Photography at Bassam Freiha Foundation
A photography exhibition featuring works by Zayed University students opened this week at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation in Abu Dhabi. The exhibition, titled "Seeing Ourselves," showcases a year-long collaboration between the university's College of Arts and Creative Enterprises and French photographer Philip Ducap, who supervised the student residency program.
Exhibition Details
The exhibition runs through August 31, 2026, at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation's Main Gallery in Abu Dhabi. Entry is free. The show features photographs by participating Zayed University students documenting contemporary UAE life, architecture, landscapes, and everyday moments throughout Abu Dhabi.
Students completed training in curatorial practice, graphic design, and exhibition design as part of the year-long program. The Foundation's curatorial team organized the displayed works to create visual relationships between photographs, varying light, scale, and emotional registers as visitors move through the exhibition space.
Program Background and Significance
Philip Ducap, whose artistic practice focuses on how people navigate and occupy urban space, provided structure for the student work. Rather than open-ended creative freedom, students were asked to investigate their own relationship to the architecture, landscapes, and people around them through photography—a constraint that, according to the Foundation, encouraged depth beyond typical classroom assignments.
For young creatives in the United Arab Emirates, the program demonstrates practical pathways into creative careers. Several participating students are expected to transition into paid positions—curatorial assistants, exhibition designers, project coordinators—at Abu Dhabi's cultural venues.
The Foundation's broader programming extends beyond this exhibition. The Family Studio program, developed with FIA – Institute for Inclusion, provides arts engagement for children and adults of determination and their families. A partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge introduces high school students to creative careers through monthly workshops led by working professionals.
Visiting Information
The exhibition is located at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation's Main Gallery in Abu Dhabi's arts quarter. For residents interested in viewing how emerging Emirati photographers document their contemporary environment, the timing allows for engagement before summer heat intensifies. Entry is free throughout the exhibition period.
