Abdul Qader Al Rais is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the Emirati art world. Known as the "godfather" of fine arts in his homeland, he is famous for symbolic abstract paintings that combine geometric shapes with Arabic calligraphy. The artist explores in his work the landscapes and traditions of his homeland. His oeuvre ranges from figurative art to abstract and is mainly characterised by an explosion of colour, flecked with calligraphy and underwritten by reverential devotion. Appearing often in his oil and watercolour paintings is a motif of slightly ajar doors, suggestive of past and future at the same time. His retrospective exhibition is an occasion to bring the Emirati art closer to the Polish audience.