Alserkal Art Week

Alserkal will celebrate the importance of contemporary art with the return of Alserkal Art Week, running from 3-13 March 2022. With a line-up that includes some of the most important experimental artists of the moment, the 20+ exhibitions on show in Alserkal Avenue include Dubai’s first ambisonic sound exhibition presented by Alserkal Arts Foundation in Concrete. The gallery’ exhibitions in Alserkal Avenue include artists working across a wide range of mediums and with diverse materials: from digital work such as NFTs, film and photography to sculpture and large-scale artworks. Highlights include the first West Asian major solo exhibition of Jitish Kallat at Ishara Art Foundation; a large-scale exhibition by Wim Delvoye in Leila Heller Gallery; and a multidisciplinary show with filmmakers and artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige in The Third Line’s newly renovated gallery.
The public is invited to visit more than 20 ground-breaking and rigorous contemporary art exhibitions, all located within a 150-metre radius within walking distance of each other inside Alserkal Avenue. The exhibitions will open during Alserkal Lates on Tuesday, 8 March, when the galleries will stay open until 10 pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the artists and gallerists and to join artist- and curator-led tours. Beyond the exhibitions, Alserkal has programmed a line-up of thought-provoking talks, guest projects, public realm commissions and open studios throughout Alserkal Art Week to spark dialogue around contemporary issues and provide cultural experiences for local, regional and international communities.
Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal and its initiatives, said, “For almost 15 years, the UAE has been at the epicentre of the growth of the region’s art scene. As our arts ecosystem collectively emerges post-Covid stronger than ever, it’s heartening to see the calibre of exhibitions and programmes on show across the UAE, including at Art Dubai, Sharjah Art Foundation and Art Jameel. I invite our audiences to take a moment to pause while they engage with the messages that these artists are sharing with us.”
Vilma Jurkute, Executive Director of Alserkal, added: “Alserkal Art Week reinforces the UAE’s position at the forefront of the region’s cultural scene with Alserkal playing an instrumental role through Alserkal Arts Foundation and a community of homegrown art galleries. This year, the line-up brings together some of the most prominent and influential artists today from the region and internationally, through rigorous and experimental exhibitions and programmes that continue to catalyse critical dialogue with our global and local publics.”
Highlights of Alserkal Art Week
A Slightly Curving Place brings an ambisonic sound installation to Dubai for the first time, immersing visitors in an experiential environment for careful and immersive listening. Curated by Nida Ghouse, the exhibition pushes the boundaries of a traditional exhibition and embraces new technologies while remaining sensitive to critical debates. Visitors are invited to spend time listening to the artworks within the exhibition. It is the first large-scale exhibition in Concrete, the multidisciplinary space designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architects (OMA), since the Mohamed Melehi solo show in September 2020.
The exhibition will be accompanied by Coming to Know, a series of additional activations unfolding over Alserkal Art Week in response to A Slightly Curving Place. Organised by Nida Ghouse and Brooke Holmes, Professor of Post-classicisms at Princeton University, Coming to Know includes conversations, discussions, workshops, performative responses with exhibition collaborators and invited respondents.
Alserkal Lates
Alserkal Lates will occur in Alserkal Avenue on Tuesday, 8 March, from 10 am to 10 pm. The opening of more than 20 new exhibitions underscores the importance of the UAE within the region’s art scene, with shows focusing on local and regional artists and their multidisciplinary practices. Artist-and-curator-led tours of the galleries and A Slightly Curving Place by Alserkal Arts Foundation will take place during Alserkal Lates. Majlis Talks will explore critical contemporary issues across the cultural realm. This edition of Alserkal Art Week will see conversations between filmmakers and artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Michael Sailstorfer, Wim Delvoye and Ian Abell. Janine Gaëlle Dieudji, Curator of the large-scale public artworks that currently adorn Alserkal Avenue, will be in conversation with artist Augustine Paredes about his latest works currently on show.
Alserkal Arts Foundation’s 2022 Spring Cycle Residents are a multidisciplinary cohort that includes filmmaker Iram Ghufran, artist Sophie Cundale, researcher Anahi Alviso-Marino, and writer Skye Arundhati Thomas, will each have Open Studios during Alserkal Lates on 8 March, alongside a public programme during their time in Dubai.