[slideshow]Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle;Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle;Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle;Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle;Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle;Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle;Photo by Koh Terai/The Gazelle[/slideshow] Almost two weeks after the opening of the first NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, sophomore Emily Wang is making strides in the art community through the curation of I’m Feeling 22, an exhibition highlighting young artists in Abu Dhabi.

Wang said, “curating [was] difficult and like a full-time job with classes.” The process involved managing PR, logistical coordination, outreach to artists, and sending hundreds of emails for Wang.

The exhibition’s title draws inspiration from Taylor Swift’s song, 22, but maintains only a loose connection to the song’s optimistic existentialism.

NYUAD senior Evgeny Zverev thought the pieces “captured elements of youthfulness that are not obvious.” He was happy that the pieces provided a nice abstraction of transition and aging.

The exhibition captures local elements of youth culture and sentimentality.

Emirati artist and sophomore, Nour Al Mehairbi, described her piece as “bring[ing] in imagination of UAE’s past.” Her surrealist sculpture portrays a hand made of palm fronds dropping a coffee cup while pearl divers emerge from the cup.

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi students Rawdha Al Alawi and Reem Luqman enjoyed the exhibition and favored the piece by Nour Al Mehairbi.

They thought it adequately captured “the evolution of a country and a people.”

Through the inclusion of works from over 20 artists spanning from performance to photography, the exhibition takes on an array of perspectives. Sophomore Lotus Mohajer thought the exhibition excelled at providing a forum for young people to have their voices and ideas heard.

Lateefa Al Nuaimi, a Zayed University alumna, was honored to sell her first piece of art at the show. She had previously participated in other art shows. Her pieces focused on taking familiar elements of heritage and twisting those elements into a combination of the old and new. For now, Nuaimi is content with suggesting the presence of art in the UAE is used to get people familiar with art. She noted that her family members are often confused why someone would study art.

For Wang, this project is the first step in a lifelong journey of bringing art to wherever she may be. How many 20-year-olds can say they have participated in shows in New York City and Dubai, or that they curated their first show more than 7,000 miles away from home?

The show provided a heartwarming reflection on the joys of identity formation and coming of age for the young attendees.

For now, those feeling 22 are content with being, in the words of Swift, “happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way.”