The month of November brings forth two Fridays that represent contrasting realities in the Arabian Gulf. One is rooted in spiritual significance, a time for reflection, community, and renewal. The other is White Friday, a consumerist spectacle mirroring the global retail frenzy of America’s Black Friday, but with a distinct regional twist. Introduced to the Gulf in 2014 by the co-founder of Souq.com (now Amazon.ae), White Friday was not just a superficial renaming—it was an attempt to localise a global event and align it with the cultural and religious values of the region. In Islamic tradition, Fridays hold deep spiritual importance, symbolising peace and renewal. The use of the word ‘white’ was meant to evoke these positive associations, in contrast to the chaos implied by ‘black’. However, beneath this rebranding lies a more complex relationship between consumption, identity, and modernity in the Gulf states.
This group exhibition, titled White Friday, uses the retail event as a lens through which to explore the socio-cultural, economic, and political forces shaping consumerism in the Gulf. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the exhibition reveals how consumption is intricately linked to aspiration, social status, and self-perception. In an increasingly globalised world, the line between tradition and modernity becomes blurred, as consumerism evolves into a means for expressing identity, securing validation, and claiming belonging.
The rise of architectural modernism in the Gulf is closely tied to the construction of expansive shopping malls, hotels, and entertainment complexes. These malls, with their artificial lakes, towering columns, and climate-controlled plazas, play a central role in the narrative of Gulf consumer culture. They offer an idealised, often utopian, version of life—places where luxury feels accessible, and the mundane is replaced by the extraordinary. Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai reimagines the famed Moroccan explorer’s travels, and Villaggio Mall in Doha transports visitors to Venice with its gondolas and painted skies. Meanwhile, Al Hazm Mall in Doha, with its grand arches and European-inspired architecture, presents itself as a fusion of classical opulence and Arabian hospitality. The Avenues in Kuwait offers a similar curated experience, with its vast districts designed to evoke different global destinations, seamlessly blending retail and leisure. These malls are more than just retail spaces; they are curated experiences designed to elevate the act of consumption, allowing visitors to lose themselves in fantasies of global luxury.
However, the architectural grandeur and experiential designs of these malls also raise important questions about identity and the consequences of unchecked consumption. While they offer a temporary escape and instant gratification, these spaces mask the environmental and social costs tied to our consumption habits. The allure of White Friday offers a momentary satisfaction, but it also prompts reflection on the future of consumer culture in the region. How does our pursuit of material goods shape our understanding of ourselves, our societies, and the world around us? Are we, as consumers, perpetuating a cycle that prioritises excess and superficiality over sustainability and substance?
The political dimensions of consumerism further complicate this narrative. In the Gulf, consumption is never a neutral act—it is deeply embedded in systems of power, privilege, and resistance. For instance, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, in support of Palestinian rights, illustrates how consumption can be leveraged as a form of political activism. Refusing to purchase certain products becomes a means of resisting injustice, turning consumer choice into an act of solidarity. Similarly, during Qatar’s blockade, malls transformed from spaces of global luxury into arenas of national resilience, where buying local became an act of patriotic solidarity. These moments remind us that the decisions we make as consumers have far-reaching consequences, shaping not only our personal identities but also our collective political and social standings.
As White Friday approaches each year, we must also ask: What are the long-term effects of this relentless pursuit of material goods? While these sales events provide a fleeting sense of satisfaction and access to luxury at lower costs, do they also distract us from deeper connections—to our communities, cultures, and environmental responsibilities? How do we reconcile the values of our region with the pressures of globalisation as we partake in this global consumer ritual?
Through the works of artists from Qatar and across the region, White Friday reflects on how consumerism has come to define much more than just economic behaviour. Some artists explore the spectacle of consumption—its fantasy, its allure—while others critique the environmental and ethical implications of our growing desire for more. Collectively, these works invite viewers to consider alternative ways of being, pointing towards more mindful, balanced, and sustainable lifestyles.
White Friday asks us to look beyond the surface spectacle of sales and consumer frenzy to confront the deeper forces shaping the Gulf. As the region continues to navigate the tensions between tradition and modernity, the exhibition prompts us to reflect critically on the rituals of consumption that have come to dominate public life, and to imagine new futures—ones where sustainability, connection, and meaning take precedence over material excess.
