Iris Projects is pleased to showcase a sculptural work by Safeya Sharif (b. 1999, UAE). Within Lines of Persistence, 2026, the desert unfolds as a series of images, stills of movement which capture the constant travel of sand dunes as they are sculpted by the persistent forces of wind and weather. Sharif traces these shifting contours through layered aluminium lines that drift, gather, and disperse, holding fleeting moments of environmental endurance in suspension.
Within Art Dubai’s special edition, which celebrates resilience and collaboration in the UAE’s cultural scene, this work goes beyond a natural study. It explores how urbanisation is changing the course of this movement, intervening in the desert’s ancient rhythms. Sharif transforms these familiar landscapes into atmospheric inquiries into architectural memory, questioning how the natural world adapts when its path is rewritten by the modern city.