Bady Dalloul: Self-portrait With a Cat I don’t Have

“Self-portrait with a cat I don’t have” curated by Lucas Morinis is Bady Dalloul’s first institutional solo exhibition in the UAE. Blending autobiographical anecdotes with encounters from his travels, the artworks depict fragile heroes and ordinary people navigating systems larger than themselves. Dalloul repurposes everyday materials—including books, matchboxes, board games and magazines—to create dialogues across cultures and genres, connecting non-Western narratives beyond conventional Eurocentric frameworks.

For this exhibition, “Age of Empires”, a series of 50 works on paper, draws on a 19th-century Japanese astrology manual to reflect on the life and death of imperial power. Matchboxes, dozens of tiny drawings framed in matchboxes, capture daily life, news and political events witnessed by the artist, notably in Syria. A recreated apartment inspired by his Dubai studio presents small works tracing the last five years of his nomadic practice across France, Japan and the UAE.

The title references a modest self-portrait made in Tokyo, evoking Dalloul’s habit of reflecting on his own life through other figures. His time in Japan influenced a shift from abstract motifs to everyday objects and personal encounters, exploring representations of Arabs and South and West Asians in Japanese popular culture.

Dalloul’s work entwines historical events, personal narratives and fiction, questioning Western-centric historiography and the construction of truth. This exhibition is the second chapter of his Land of Dreams series, following the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, and preceding Lisbon’s Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian.