On Saturday 24 October, XVA brings contemporary art and Chinese cooking together in the wind-tower houses and courtyards of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. The afternoon starts with the opening of SYNCHRONICITY, an exhibition by artist, writer and educator Charlie Koolhaas, and the evening continues with ROUTES & ROOTS, an eight-course Chinese dinner by Five Spice.
The exhibition
SYNCHRONICITY grows out of more than two decades of photography and looks at the unexpected relationships that appear between things that seem unconnected. Its title draws on Carl Jung’s idea of meaningful coincidence. Across photography, sculpture and painting, Koolhaas explores those encounters: large-format documentary photographs from her archive in China, where she lived for ten years, urban landscapes turned into sculptural pieces, and paintings that isolate chance meetings in everyday visual noise. The opening runs from 3pm to 6pm at XVA Gallery, and the exhibition stays on view until 12 November 2026.
The dinner
ROUTES & ROOTS is part of the XVA x Five Spice Supper Club series and takes place for one evening only. Guests share plates in the courtyard of XVA Café while the menu explores how regional ingredients took root to define the Chinese home table. Elements of it draw on flavours Koolhaas met during her time in China, reinterpreted by Xini and Starry, the founders of Five Spice, whose approach brings people together over food, storytelling and cultural heritage.
Doors open at 6pm and dinner is served at 6:30pm. Tickets cost AED 439 plus VAT per person and are booked through the XVA shop. The food photograph on this page is from an earlier XVA x Five Spice Supper Club, the Lunar New Year edition, supplied with the release. For another evening idea, see our date night guide.
XVA SYNCHRONICITY and ROUTES & ROOTS: Details
- When: Saturday 24 October 2026: exhibition opening 3pm to 6pm, dinner doors 6pm and dinner served 6:30pm. The exhibition stays on view until 12 November 2026
- Where: XVA Gallery and XVA Café courtyard, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, Dubai
- Price: Dinner AED 439 plus VAT per person
- Book: xvashop.com/products/xva-x-five-spice-supper-club-1
- Instagram: @thefivespice
Image: courtesy of Five Spice, XVA Gallery and the artist Charlie Koolhaas.