As the UAE’s arts and culture landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Dom Art Projects is the newest destination, offering a deeper approach to art that doesn’t just showcase artworks but focuses on education and fostering regional talent. Located in Al Quoz, the new multi-use art centre is the vision of two women whose careers, cultures and creative convictions have converged in one shared mission. For co-founders Anna Pumpyanskaya and Alisa Bagdonaite, Dom Art Projects brings a long-time vision to life, acting as a living ecosystem designed to support the full cycle of artistic life, from inspiration and research through to production, presentation and long-term community building.

“I personally had the idea of this kind of institution for a long time,” says Anna, Director and Co-founder of Dom Art Projects. With a background in law and institutional collection management, and years spent living between Russia, Switzerland and Europe, her relationship with art has always been personal as well as professional. “I used to live in Switzerland, where we had a lot of foundations and art institutions. This idea of building a space that is more than a gallery was always interesting to me.”

The missing piece arrived in Dubai when she met Alisa Bagdonaite, now Chief Curator and Co-founder. Alisa brings more than a decade of experience building and curating international residencies, exhibitions and cultural centres across Russia and Eastern Europe, having supported more than 150 residencies and produced over 60 exhibitions in her career. “When we met, we immediately felt we shared the same mission,” Anna recalls. “Step by step, we came to the idea of creating the whole cycle of production in one space.”

Dom Art Projects blends residencies, studios, exhibitions, education, a bookshop and public talks under one roof. The ambition is not simply to display finished works, but to highlight the research, labour and dialogue behind artistic production. “We want people to come to be inspired, to meet other people, to share ideas, to develop research in the studios, and then to show the result in exhibitions,” Anna explains. “And from that, to create a real community.”

That philosophy of openness defines how Dom Art Projects selects the artists it supports. Alisa describes their approach as a careful balance between professionalism and inclusivity. “There are different mechanisms for making decisions, and it is never easy,” she says. “There are so many talented people we would like to support.” The platform works with both Open Calls and curatorial invitations. Their recent Open Call in partnership with Bayt AlMamzar resulted in the selection of Dubai-based artist Shamin Sharum, whose research into outworld communities aligned directly with the studio environment.

Yet Alisa is candid about the emotional toll Open Calls can take. “Statistically, you will be denied most of the time. It is psychologically difficult for artists,” she says. “But Open Calls also remove blind spots. They show us possibilities we were not thinking about.” Alongside this, curatorial invitations allow Dom Art Projects to support artists through research residencies, networking-based programs and long-term development rather than isolated production moments.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of Dom Art Projects is the speed of its creation. Built in just two months from mid-September to November, the centre launched at a pace few global cities could match. “It was not easy,” Anna says. “Construction was very difficult. But the fact that it was done so quickly is only possible in Dubai.” That speed now allows the centre to immediately activate its four pillars: residencies, exhibitions, the bookshop, and education.

Yet both founders are conscious that Dubai’s creative energy comes with unique challenges. “Everything is evolving very fast, maybe even too fast,” Alisa reflects. “The speed is good, but sometimes you also need depth.” With rising living costs and short-term exhibition cycles, sustained artistic development can be difficult. “The marathon is always more challenging than a sprint,” she adds. Dom Art Projects positions itself as one of the few platforms actively investing in the long game, helping artists move beyond rapid exposure into stable professional growth through production, presentation and network support.

Equally central is flexibility. “We are not here to teach anyone how it should be,” Anna says. “We are here to listen to the local community and to react.” That adaptability will shape future programming, from public lectures and affordable talks to curated memberships offering deeper access to artists, studios and research processes.

Behind the institution stands a shared personal story as well. Both women are mothers to a combined total of five boys, and both carry strong cultural ties that bridge Russia, Europe and Dubai. “We both have a longing for the Russian language, Russian art and Russian culture,” Anna says, “but Dom is not only for one community. It is for everyone.”