"Ybna Al3eid" Exhibition

“Ybna Al3eid” is a Gulf Arabic phrase roughly meaning taking the cake, or rather, bringing it in the first place. Translated literally as “we brought [the] Eid,” it is when actions turn into a foolish spectacle, humiliation, and/or dire consequences, i.e. partaking in activities uncustomary to Gulf cultures, hiding realities, or twisting familial mythologies.

Named after this colloquial term, this exhibition, curated by Salem AlSuwaidi and Talal Al Najjar at Bayt AlMamzar, pokes fun at these ideas, engaging them critically and satirically. This show considers the works of fourteen socio-politically-creative artists that explore themes of Arabian decolonization, bodily deviation, child-like liberation, and anthropological investigations. It is rebellion not for action, but for existence.