Another mainstay of Dubai’s arts festival circuit is back with a bang – Alserkal Art Week. After keeping us busy with Quoz Arts Fest in January, Alserkal Avenue is breaking out some eyeball-grabbing exhibitions, slow art walks, community workshops and pop-ups from February 25 to March 3. We’ve put together a handy guide of everything you should check out at this the arts and culture hub. Entry is free.
1. Exhibitions
Leading the charge on opening day is video art practitioner Nalini Malani’s immersive exhibit called ‘Can You Hear Me?’ Made up of textual and visual quotes and snippets of sound and 88 iPad-drawn animates played across a large-scale nine-channel video installation, this work expresses outrage against social violence and global injustice. Screenings take place at The Concrete on February 27, and March 2.
While you’re there don’t miss out on 12 new exhibitions launched across the Avenue’s many art galleries. Green Art Gallery will unveil the work of Ana Mazzei called How to Disappear which deals with the complex theme of identity. Lawrie Shabibi will introduce art afficionados to Mandy El-Sayegh’s ‘A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose’ – a collage made up of newspaper fragments, aerial maps, El-Sayegh’s father’s calligraphy and a performance by the artist.
At Leila Heller Gallery, discover the solo exhibition by renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. The gallery is also the venue of two other exhibitions – Carpets of Eden, Gardens of Fantasy and Immortal Mirror by Aref Montazeri that invite audiences to peer into a variety of handmade mirrors and see themselves in fresh situations. Meanwhile, Gallery Isabelle is waving the flag for Dubai-based artists Mohammed Kazem and Vikram Divecha by showcasing the duo’s exhibition Rest. Find the full programme here
2. Art installations
Public art commissions will pepper the lanes of Alserkal featuring new works by artists Dima Srouji, Abbas Akhavan, Vikram Divecha and Asma Belhamar. Curated by Zoé Whitely and called Walk With Me, this project is easily discoverable during a stroll through Alserkal’s premises. Launching the project is Dima Srouji’s work This is Not Your Grave which will be revealed on February 27.
3. Alserkal Lates
Everyone’s favourite nocturnal art walk, Alserkal Lates, kicks off on February 27 onwards. For one day only, most galleries in Alserkal Avenue will stay open until 10pm instead of the usual 7pm so guests can explore the premises and its many thriving galleries after dark. Slow Art Walk, a walking tour led by curator Mo Reda will take place throughout the evening. Visitors can wander around the Avenue learning about the new exhibitions on display and reflect on the themes and concepts these artworks convey. Book your spot here.
3. Talks and panel discussions
The staple Majlis Talks event returns this year on February 27. Inspired by Rumi’s verse ‘Let the beauty we love be what we do’ and moderated by Zoé Whitely, it’ll be a welcoming forum for artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, architects and creatives from every walk of life imaginable to engage in spirited discussions and accommodate a variety of viewpoints.
The Forgotten Place is another talk led by multi-disciplinary artist Muhannad Shono & curator Tairone Bastien on March 2. Shono will be discussing his public art installation A Forgotten Place – a work that carries condensed water from AC units inside Alserkal’s warehouses and uses it to water wild plants growing on the lanes around the area. The talk will focus on AC ecologies and it’s potential to become a source of irrigation in water-scarce regions of the world.