From 10 October 2025 to 10 January 2026, Efie Gallery in Dubai will present The Shape of Things to Come, a major group exhibition curated by Japan-based American curator Dexter Wimberly. Bringing together works by internationally acclaimed artists El Anatsui, Iman Issa, Abdoulaye Konaté, Yinka Shonibare, and Carrie Mae Weems, alongside other significant names in global contemporary art, the show examines how artists are responding to a rapidly shifting world. Through painting, sculpture, and conceptual installations, the exhibition highlights practices that are as visually captivating as they are intellectually rigorous. The gallery, located at Warehouse 61 in Alserkal Avenue within Dubai’s Al Quoz Creative Zone, will be open Monday to Saturday, 11 am–7 pm, offering visitors an immersive encounter with artworks that reflect the transformations shaping our cultural, political, and environmental landscapes.
Curator Dexter Wimberly describes the exhibition as grounded in the belief that art can articulate the complexities of the present era. “These artists push the boundaries of their mediums, using bold colour, unexpected textures, and unconventional materials to capture the transformations shaping contemporary society,” he notes. “Their work is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of art in turbulent times.” Wimberly’s curatorial practice spans continents and institutions, with a record of organizing thought-provoking exhibitions in venues such as the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, BODE in Berlin, and The Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. His selection for The Shape of Things to Come reflects his longstanding commitment to amplifying artists whose work speaks powerfully to contemporary realities, continuing a career that has seen collaborations with leading figures such as Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall, and Rashid Johnson.
Among the featured artists, El Anatsui stands as one of Africa’s most celebrated contemporary voices. Renowned for his shimmering metallic wall sculptures composed of recycled materials such as liquor bottle caps, printing plates, and cassava graters, Anatsui transforms humble objects into vast, tapestry-like works that address themes of cultural heritage, environmental sustainability, and global interconnectedness. His intricate constructions invite viewers to consider the layered histories embedded within materials, while celebrating craft traditions that span generations. In the context of this exhibition, his work offers a powerful meditation on transformation — both of matter and meaning.
Iman Issa brings a distinct conceptual sensibility to The Shape of Things to Come. Known for her Heritage Studies series, Issa reimagines historical artifacts as abstract, minimal forms paired with interpretive texts. Employing museological tools such as vitrines, plinths, and precise captions, her works evoke the ways history, memory, and language intertwine. By stripping objects of specific temporal and geographical origins, Issa invites audiences to reflect on the mutable nature of heritage and how cultural narratives are continually redefined. Her contribution to the show offers a nuanced commentary on the construction of meaning in museum and cultural contexts, asking what survives from the past and how it is reshaped in the present.
Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté contributes his monumental textile-based installations, crafted from woven and dyed fabrics native to his homeland. His work blends abstraction and figuration, often addressing social, political, and environmental issues with a visual language deeply rooted in West African textile traditions. In Mali, textiles have long been a means of communication, and Konaté harnesses this heritage to tell stories of both personal experience and collective struggle. His use of colour and form speaks to resilience and renewal, grounding global issues in a deeply local yet universally resonant aesthetic.
British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE is celebrated for his incisive explorations of colonialism, post-colonialism, and globalization. Working across sculpture, painting, photography, and installation, Shonibare interrogates race, class, and cultural identity through a lens that blends sharp political critique with playful references to Western art history and literature. His Hybrid Mask (Bamana Ntomo), created in 2023 from wood, acrylic paint, and brass, draws on West African and European traditions, collapsing boundaries between cultures while questioning the construction of identity in a globalized world. In this exhibition, Shonibare’s work underscores the ways historical narratives are continuously reimagined.
Carrie Mae Weems, one of the most influential American artists of her generation, brings works from her 1993 Africa series, in which she photographed architectural structures in Ghana, Senegal, and Mali. These images examine how gender and power are encoded in built environments, while also recording the haunting legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. Weems’s practice often employs storytelling and folklore to confront histories of erasure, and this early series marks the beginning of her ongoing investigation into how space can embody dominance and resistance. Her contribution to The Shape of Things to Come resonates deeply with the exhibition’s themes of history, identity, and transformation.
Efie Gallery, founded by Ghanaian family Valentina, Kwame, and Kobi Mintah, has quickly established itself as a hub for contemporary African art in Dubai since its launch in 2021. Relocating in 2025 from Al Khayat Avenue to Alserkal Avenue — the city’s leading cultural district — the gallery continues its mission to represent and advance artists of African origin and the global African diaspora. Beyond exhibitions, Efie Gallery runs a dynamic residency programme fostering collaboration with local artists, institutions, and communities. The name “Efie,” meaning “home” in Twi, reflects the gallery’s focus on belonging and identity, concepts that resonate strongly in the works on view in The Shape of Things to Come.
By assembling such a formidable group of artists, The Shape of Things to Come creates a platform for dialogue around urgent global issues — from climate change and political upheaval to cultural exchange and the legacies of colonialism. Each work offers its own distinct reflection on how individuals and societies navigate change, yet together they form a collective statement on the enduring power of art to inspire, provoke, and heal. Visitors will encounter an exhibition that is as intellectually engaging as it is visually striking, reaffirming the relevance of contemporary African and diasporic voices on the international stage.
For more information, visit www.efiegallery.com or contact Sophie Campos at sophie@efiegallery.com.
