Beneath the desert sky of Dubai, Oaga Art Resort’s Samaasaa made its international debut, captivating audiences during the closing night of Karim Jabbari’s evocative exhibition, Vertical Horizon / 361 Degrees, at Inloco Gallery. The performance was led by Oaga’s own Raai Badeeu, who brought the island’s spirit to life with a dance that perfectly complemented the renowned light calligrapher’s work.
Samaasaa is Oaga’s unique theatrical dining experience where storytelling intertwines with seasonal cuisine, and performance art harmonizes with culinary presentation, delivering folklore as edible chapters. The event took place in Inloco Gallery, an emerging boutique space in Dubai known for pushing artistic boundaries. This season, the gallery focused on themes of disappearing urban landscapes and the memories they carry. Karim Jabbari, celebrated for transforming ancient Arabic script into mesmerizing modern light calligraphy, explored the concept of "Lost Tradition" through a multifaceted project that included an art intervention in Al Satwa. Collaborating with artist Khalil Abdulwahid, Jabbari reflected on the fading history of the neighborhood, reviving calligraphy’s original role as a means of communication and cultural preservation.
The closing event, a collaboration between Inloco Gallery, Karim Jabbari, and Oaga, offered a sensory-rich finale where the precise strokes of light met fluid choreography, blending the tangible with the ephemeral. Raai Badeeu’s immersive dance performance embodied the essence of Oaga, evoking memory, transformation, and ancestral heritage, filling the space with poetic movement and myth.
This special showcase provided a preview of Oaga’s upcoming theatrical dining production, Samaasaa Presents: The First Coconuts. A carefully curated segment from the full show was adapted for the Dubai audience, offering a glimpse into the mythical origins of island life through evocative performance art.
As Oaga extends its artistic reach beyond its island home, this event marks the start of a vibrant journey to share the resort’s poetic and playful spirit, deeply rooted in island culture, with global audiences.