News
You could be unaware of the brilliance that goes on inside ICD Brookfield Place, but it is impossible to miss the towering 53 story structure itself. One drive down Happiness Street announces its unmistakable presence. Located in the heart of DIFC on the Gate Avenue retail promenade, Brookfield Place is a jack of all trades. The mixed-use development does not limit itself to being a world-class real estate destination; it carries everything from dining and wellness to art, cultural programming, and lifestyle amenities.
Brookfield is at the forefront of integrating art and culture into real estate. Their approach is rooted in a simple philosophy: the industry should focus less on physical structures and more on creating places shaped by meaningful experiences. This vision is reflected in their mission to offer free, public access to world-class cultural encounters.
Leading this movement is ICD Brookfield Place’s renowned Arts and Events Programme, which celebrated turning five last month. The past five years have been nothing short of extraordinary. “It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come over the past five years. It’s been such a wild and rewarding journey,” commented Malak Abu-Qaoud, Director of Arts and Events. “From thought-provoking exhibitions and creative projects to unforgettable events and collaborations, I’m so proud of what we’ve built together as a community, and I can’t wait to see what the next five years will bring.”
Inside the spectacular tower, the building transforms into an interactive platform where regional artists practice their own form of place-making, shaping it into an unconventional art space where art, architecture, and design intertwine. This environment nurtures a community that grows in coalition with artistic practice and the possibilities the physical space is offering. With its summer garden, activated pedestrian routes, and striking A-frame structure anchoring the entrance, the building is designed as much for people as for the work that happens inside it. It functions as a social hub, a cultural backdrop, and a catalyst for creative engagement.
Promoting accessibility, nurturing cultural dialogue, and focusing on long-term creative engagement, the program continues to soar. From platforming Tasmeem, one of the region’s most innovative exhibitions for graphic design, to presenting performances that test the limits of artistry such as Miles Greenberg’s Le Miroir, ICD Brookfield Place has consistently expanded the cultural horizons of the region. Projects like Radio Al Hara (2023), an online radio station based in Bethlehem, and Chiaroscuro (2024), curated by Michèle Lamy and featuring works by Rick Owens, Studio Drift, Nacho Carbonell, and more, speak to its multidisciplinary reach.
It is rare to come across performance art in the Middle East, which is why ICD Brookfield Place’s commissioning of Le Miroir by Miles Greenberg signals a pivotal shift. Performance art’s immediacy and unpredictability make it unlike any other medium, and its presence within a corporate tower is even more unconventional. In a previous conversation with ICON MENA, Malak Abu-Qaoud reflected on how Greenberg’s work stands apart. “I don’t come across work that much that really pushes me and makes me feel a lot of emotions,” she says. “He spends a lot of time pushing his body to these limits and these beautiful sculptures. It’s very rare that you meet someone that really embodies what they are. He is the artist.” Through works like this, ICD Brookfield opens itself as a space where artists can safely expand the limits of their craft, challenging what artistry is typically catalyzed and known in the Middle East.
Appreciating Malak’s eye and the Brookfield program cannot be complete without a mention of Tasmeem. “[It] is my favourite project of the year,” she told ICON MENA earlier this year, reflecting on their Graphic Dissent–themed edition. Running from July through August 2025, the exhibition explored the role of design in society. Twelve artists, carefully selected from across the region, examined design as a site of protest, memory, and imagination. Threads of Liberty by Lama Kadri served as a form of protest, resistance, and a statement against injustice and displacement, created in response to the 2021 Sheikh Jarrah evictions. No To Occupation by Rami Hoballah repeated “لا” (no) in a pattern inspired by the Palestinian kufiyyeh. Arabic typography here functions not as an aesthetic gesture but as an expression of collective defiance. “Design, for me, is not only about aesthetics, it’s a powerful tool for expression, resistance, and reclaiming identity,” said Rami.
Year after year, through every program, ICD has shown how it honors Brookfield’s placemaking philosophy. It resists what is traditionally expected of a real estate destination by placing cultural experience at its core. Art, whether expressed through architecture, design, or performance, enriches the places people inhabit. The program has evolved beyond the limits of how people interact with a space. By supporting regional talent, encouraging artistic experimentation, and asking difficult questions about how art and design can challenge, resist, and reimagine, ICD Brookfield Place has become a destination people simply want to be in. And as it continues into its next chapter, we cannot wait to see where the coming years will take it.
