RAK from the Mangroves was the inaugural solo exhibition that marked the beginning of the project. It was held at the RAK National Museum in the United Arab Emirates.

This was followed by the Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) exhibition series, presented between 2015 and 2016 with support from the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency. The project culminated in the Mangroves Festival in 2017, organised in collaboration with the Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) authorities, UAE government agencies, cultural institutions, educational organisations, and community partners.

The art campaign later expanded internationally, marking a new chapter on International Mangrove Day, 26 July 2021, with a group exhibition and a series of workshops held in Geelong, Australia, culminating on 18 August. The programme brought together national and international artists and was supported by a grant from the City of Greater Geelong, in collaboration with the Sharjah Institute for Heritage.

In 2022, MFTW was honoured to be part of the UAE’s art, culture and environmental programme at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

MFTW was also the title of Dr Zahidah Zeytoun Millie’s doctoral research, for which she was awarded a PhD by Deakin University on 17 June 2025. The thesis both draws upon and contributes to the MFTW art and environmental campaign, bringing together the research and creative practice that underpin this long-standing body of work.

MFTW‘s most recent exhibition was held on 24 April 2026 at the Barwon Heads Arts Hub and was supported in part by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the degradation of mangrove forests in Victoria, Australia, and to encourage their care and protection through the visual arts, music, dance, poetry, and film.

Aims of the Project

To:

• encourage viewers to realise the beauty and importance of mangroves,
• protect wetlands and mangroves globally which have a strong tie to indigenous people,
• encourage discussion about the mangroves, sea grasses and wetlands, to be held at the Gallery during the exhibition period, and
• emphasise the importance of finding heritage and contemporary storytelling of mangroves that act as a reference point for cultural identity and popular memory.  

Through interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement, Mangroves from the Water continues to foster dialogue between art, culture, and environmental stewardship, inspiring, greater appreciation and protection of mangrove ecosystems.

Dr. Zahidah Zelda Zeytoun Millie

Mangroves from the Water Founder & Curator

www.zahidahart.com

www.mangrovesfromthewater.com

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