The Cultural Foundation unveils the second phase of the exhibition "Sense of dreams" By Shezad Dawoud
ABU DHABI, 1st May / WAM / The Cultural Foundation, affiliated with the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, unveiled the second phase of the “Sense of Dreams” exhibition, following the opening of the first phase of the exhibition on April 9, 2026, with the second phase presenting an integrated vision of David’s prominent artistic works.
The opening phase of the exhibition showcased a selection of Daoud’s cinematic works, including the digital artwork A Night in the Garden of Love – Digital Seed Banks 2023, the premiere of episodes nine and ten of Daoud’s groundbreaking ten-part film series Leviathan Cycle, the immersive virtual reality environment Slums (2019), and Clifton Beach (digital terrazzo). [أسود](2019), which paved the way for presenting his comprehensive vision.
In the second phase of the exhibition, Daoud’s work will be displayed within his multidisciplinary artistic practice, highlighting his paintings, sculptures, digital works, and more.
This prominent solo exhibition is the first retrospective exhibition of the artist Shezad Dawoud’s works in the middle of his artistic career, and will continue until September 20, 2026.
The comprehensive retrospective exhibition, curated by curator Jessica Serasi, brings together more than 15 years of Daoud’s artistic work, and displays the connections between different aspects of Daoud’s artistic practices.
The title of the exhibition, “The Sense of Dreams,” is inspired by a poetic description of the movie screen, with the boundaries it evokes between imagination and reality.
The exhibition invites visitors to enter David’s richly detailed world, which he has been creating for more than two decades.
The exhibition also focuses on modern architecture and the environment, two fields in which Daoud blends non-Western traditions with contemporary practices to explore alternative histories and futures.
Rooted in research, his work draws on diverse sources from history, literature, architecture, music, science, and technology and has been shaped by his parallel practice of painting and filmmaking, and the dynamic relationship between them.
The exhibition also presents an additional group of paintings that highlight the diversity and breadth of Daoud’s artistic practices, starting from his early works in which he used Raleigh fabrics in the paintings “The Policeman Said, My Tears Are Falling 2” (2011) and “Inside the Cave” (2016), all the way to his more recent paintings such as “L’Mineette (Green)” (2026) and “L’Mineette (Turquoise)” (2026). Overall, these immersive works demonstrate Dawoud’s ability to brilliantly employ multimedia in the fields of painting, cinema, digital art, and virtual reality technologies.
The highly anticipated premiere of the ninth and tenth concluding episodes of artist Shezad Daoud’s pivotal ten-part Leviathan Cycle series also forms the centerpiece of the exhibition.
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