Dirwaza Curatorial Lab
Dirwaza Curatorial Lab is an Abu Dhabi-based creative space, founded by curator Munira Al Sayegh, that considers narrative reclamation through exhibition making practices.
Specialized in cultural projects relevant to the Arabian Gulf region — designing exhibitions, managing collections, and building communities through non-profit mentorship and bespoke arts-driven programs.
As a projects partner, Dirwaza advises institutions, decision makers, collectors, and businesses. Our team works with a growing network of artists, arts professionals, and institutions to participate in a dynamic environment with homegrown ideas.
Munira Al Sayegh is an independent curator and cultural instigator based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She is the founder of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, a UAE based curatorial incubator and cultural advisory. She is a published author and prominent public voice in the region, highlighting the importance of grassroots initiatives, language and narrative reclamation with regards to the Gulf.
Her contributions can be traced back to NYU Abu Dhabi's FIND project (2012), and she currently sits on the advisory board for the university's art gallery. As a part of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi team she collaboratively curated The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence (2017); her curatorial solo debut was Bayn: The In-Between (2017), the third edition of UAE Unlimited. Later, she curated the Talks Program in Abu Dhabi Art.
In parallel, since 2014 she has joined and pioneered curatorial initiatives across Art Dubai, where she curated the Residents section (2019) and started the Now series, looking at non-government-funded creative platforms in the region. In 2020, she premiered The Cup and The Saucer, commissioned by 421 (Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Foundation). In 2021 Al Sayegh debuted her first exhibition outside of the region Between the Sky and Earth, organized and hosted by the Middle East Institute in partnership with the NYUAD gallery.
Since the launch of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, Al Sayegh has led on the curation of various exhibitions including Leadership Pavilion Project (Expo2020, Dubai, 2020), Zemanna (Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, 2022), Hair Mapping Body; Body Mapping Land (ICD Brookfield, Dubai, 2021), In Process | In Progress (NYUAD at 421, Abu Dhabi, 2022), While the Coffee Grounds Settle (Fathom Gallery, Washington D.C., 2022), Evaporating Suns (KBH.G, Basel, 2023), Evident Presence (NMSS at Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi, 2023), A Return to the Ground (United Arab Emirates Embassy, Tokyo, 2023), and Gauze (Tabari Art Space, Dubai, 2024).
Behind the scenes — the office, the openings, the everyday.
Al Rutam St, Mina Zayed
Abu Dhabi, UAE