Bodour Al Qasimi opens the Polish edition of “Folktales Reimagined” exhibition featuring Emirati and Polish artists

Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), Founder and Honorary President of the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY), inaugurated Friday the Polish edition of the “Folktales Reimagined” exhibition, organised by UAEBBY in collaboration with the Polish Section of IBBY at the National Library of Poland, as part of Sharjah’s Guest of Honour programme at the 2026 Warsaw International Book Fair, held under the theme “Two Civilisations: One Language of Letters”. The ceremony was attended by Dr Tomasz Makowski, Director-General of the National Library of Poland; His Excellency Mohamed Ahmed Al Harbi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Poland; Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAE Board on Books for Young People; Joanna Piekarska, President of the Polish Section of IBBY; as well as heads of delegations participating in the Sharjah Pavilion and representatives of Emirati and Polish media outlets. Commenting on the exhibition, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi said: “Folktales represent the memory of nations and their timeless human voice. They do not merely preserve stories, but carry the values, emotions, and experiences that have shaped societies across generations. Through ‘Folktales Reimagined’, we seek to reintroduce this shared human heritage through a contemporary artistic language that opens new spaces for cultural dialogue beyond geographical borders and linguistic differences, while giving artists the opportunity to explore how stories, despite emerging from diverse environments, continue to reveal the common threads that unite people through their experiences, dreams, and aspirations”. She added: “The Polish edition of the exhibition holds special significance as it forms part of Sharjah’s Guest of Honour participation at the 2026 Warsaw International Book Fair, reflecting our belief that culture has the power to build genuine bridges of communication and mutual understanding between peoples. What Emirati and Polish artists present in this exhibition is far more than a reinterpretation of traditional tales; it is a new visual reading that revives folk narratives through the spirit of the present, reaffirming that creativity remains one of the most powerful means of bringing cultures closer together and safeguarding our shared human memory for future generations”. Marwa Al Aqroubi presented an overview to Sheikha Bodour and attendees on the vision behind the “Folktales Reimagined” exhibition and its journey since inception, noting that the project aims to reinterpret folk tales from different cultures through a contemporary visual lens that allows both artists and audiences to discover the shared symbols and values embedded within them. She also highlighted the artworks featured in the Polish edition, which reimagine Emirati and Polish folk tales through artistic approaches that blend heritage with modern visual storytelling, reflecting the role of art in fostering dialogue and cultural understanding. Al Aqroubi said: “‘Folktales Reimagined’ is one of the cultural projects through which the UAE Board on Books for Young People seeks to revive folk tales and present them to new generations in a contemporary visual format that speaks the language of today’s art scene while preserving the spirit and human values of the original stories. Since the project’s launch, our goal has been to transform it into an open platform for creative dialogue between cultures, giving each artist the opportunity to explore and reinterpret the heritage of another culture through their own artistic perspective, reflecting the enduring ability of folk narratives to evolve and remain relevant across time”. She added: “What distinguishes this project is that it goes beyond simply exhibiting artworks; it invites artists to embark on a journey of research and interaction before audiences encounter the final pieces. Each participant explores the symbols and cultural meanings embedded in the folk tales of the other country, then reimagines them visually through a deeply personal interpretation. In this edition, we aimed for the exhibition to become a living space where collective memory intersects with contemporary art, opening the door for audiences to engage with these tales not merely as stories from the past, but as part of a shared cultural and human identity.” The participating Emirati artists presented contemporary visual interpretations of some of Poland’s most celebrated folk tales, drawing inspiration from their symbolic worlds and mythical characters in ways that reflect the interaction of Emirati imagination with global heritage. Artist AlReem Al Mannaee reimagined the tale of “Dratewka The Shoemaker” through a warm narrative visual style highlighting themes of kindness and compassion, while Fatima Al Zarouni offered an artistic interpretation of “King Popiel and the Mice”, focusing on the duality of power and punishment through compositions charged with tension and unea