About Alserkal Initiatives

A socially responsible and forward-thinking cultural enterprise, Alserkal Initiatives is dedicated to developing sustainable models for homegrown initiatives, while supporting narratives and research from the Global South.

Founded in 2008 by Emirati businessman and patron Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Alserkal Initiatives is renowned for its ground-breaking artistic productions, experimental approach and for the creation of culturally meaningful spaces that inspire and shape communities.

Alserkal Initiatives has three primary areas of activity:
· cultivating a creative economy in Dubai and building a collaborative network of civic cultural institutions through its renowned cultural district, Alserkal Avenue
· supporting public artist commissions, residencies, research grants, and educational programmes through its non-profit, Alserkal Arts Foundation
· providing advisory services to public and private sector entities.

Alserkal Avenue: A vibrant cultural district

Alserkal Avenue was established in 2008 by Alserkal following the visionary thinking of its founder Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, who sought to cultivate a vibrant creative community and support cultural production in Dubai. Spanning 500,000sqft in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai, Alserkal Avenue is home to a community of over 70 contemporary art galleries, visual and performing arts organisations, designers, home-grown and entrepreneur-led businesses, and community spaces. As one of the region’s foremost destinations for contemporary art, and home to Dubai’s risk-takers, makers and wide-ranging creative communities, Alserkal Avenue provides cultural experiences for local, regional and international audiences through its extensive year-round programming.

Alserkal Avenue is home to Concrete, a multi-disciplinary exhibitions space conceptualised and programmed by Alserkal. Inaugurated in 2017, Concrete is the first building in the UAE to be completed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), founded by Rem Koolhaas. An adaptable venue, Concrete’s ability to metamorphose to bring creative visions to life makes it suitable for international, museum-grade exhibitions as well as events across art, design, fashion and the performing arts.

Alserkal Arts Foundation

The Alserkal Arts Foundation is a non-profit that extends Alserkal’s mission to support cultural production. The Foundation offers opportunities for research and artistic production to cultural practitioners and researchers with strong regional or contemporary relevance who challenge conventional disciplinary boundaries. Through its initiatives, which include support for artistic projects, research grants, alternative learning, and artist residencies at purpose-built studios located in the heart of Alserkal Avenue, the Foundation seeks to incubate creative thinking that contributes to the region’s cultural sphere, leading to new forms of knowledge. Alserkal Arts Foundation is supported by Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Ahmad Bin Eisa Alserkal and the Alserkal family.

Advisory Services: Galvanizing Expertise

Alserkal leverage its collective expertise in arts initiatives and cultural production, heritage creation, community building and engagement, as well as urbanism and planning for creative industries, to guide public and private sector entities in developing sustainable and responsive business models.