Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi of Sharjah opened a joint exhibit over the weekend that invited artists from the UAE and Poland to visually recreate stories from each other’s folk traditions, creating a “cultural dialogue beyond geographical borders and linguistic differences.”
“Folktales Reimagined” was generated in collaboration between the UAE Board on Books for Young People and the Polish Section of the International Board on Books for Young People. It debuted in Warsaw’s National Library of Poland.
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The exhibit let a dozen Emirati and Polish artists “explore how stories, despite emerging from diverse environments, continue to reveal the common threads that unite people through their experiences, dreams and aspirations,” said Sheikha Bodour, who serves as Founder and Honorary President of the UAEBBY.
“Folktales represent the memory of nations and their timeless human voice,” she said. “They do not merely preserve stories, but carry the values, emotions, and experiences that have shaped societies across generations.”
The stories, Polish and Emirati alike, evoke universal themes such as avoiding jealousy and remaining true to oneself, said Joanna Czaplewska, a Polish visual artist who illustrated the Emirati story of Netifan, the gentle son of a sultan who is mocked and ostracised by his six brothers.
Netifan discovers a magic palm branch that allows him to rise above his cruel siblings through feats of guile and skill. When his brothers, overcome by envy, attempt to bury Netifan in a locked chest, he escapes and exposes their betrayal.
Czaplewska created a layered, rustic image of red, yellows, and green that portrays young Netifan bearing his palm branch over scenes of wild dogs, fighting bulls and a hyena that he alone was able to defeat.
Like many of the exhibit’s artists, Arab and Polish alike, Czaplewska portrayed characters from the other culture in the traditional costume of her own culture. The effect was one of blending two traditions and, in so doing, revealing the shared humanity that lay behind them.
“This was a great opportunity to get to know, a little bit closer, a different culture,” Czaplewska told Khaleej Times of the exhibit. “And I felt really honoured to be among those illustrators who got this opportunity. It was really lovely.”
A piece from Emirati artist Khalid Mezaina, “The Basilisk of Warsaw,” retells the story of a young apprentice who overcomes a creature with a lethal gaze who terrorises the city. Mezaina portrayed the apprentice in traditional Emirati dress, armed with a khanjar at his belt.
The Polish edition of the exhibition marks the latest incarnation of a concept launched by the UAEBBY in 2019. Previous collaborators with the UAE include Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Greece, Russia and Morocco.
Sharjah was named Guest of Honour at the 2026 Warsaw International Book Fair, which runs through the weekend.
Source: Khaleej Times