Alserkal announces Quoz Arts Fest 2020 programme

12 January 2020

QUOZ ARTS FEST
Organised by Alserkal
24 & 25 January 2020
Al Quoz

Free and open to the public

Dubai, UAE — The creative industrial neighbourhood of Al Quoz will celebrate the 8th edition of Quoz Arts Fest on 24 and 25 January 2020. Organised by Alserkal, the two-day festival is the Middle East’s biggest annual arts and culture festival, and is led by more than 60 thinkers and makers from the music, art, design, and performance realms in the UAE and beyond. The festival is free and open to the public.

Quoz Arts Fest showcases the breadth and depth of creativity across the arts that can be found in Al Quoz, with a two-day celebration of art exhibitions, live music, contemporary dance performances, food trucks, outdoor art installations, and film screenings, among other activities for a wide range of audiences, including families.

Highlights from Quoz Arts Fest 2020 include a free concert by Jordanian-Palestinian shamstep band 47Soul; the exhibition New National Dish: UAE; contemporary dance performances by London-based performance art festival Block Universe; film screenings as part of the Reel Palestine Film Festival, and much more.

Regional band 47Soul will take the stage in Alserkal Avenue, on Friday, January 24 at 8PM. The Jordanian-Palestinian band combines traditional dabke music with electronic beats, and is best-known for creating the Shamstep, a combination of mijwiz (a levantine folk musical style) and dubstep.

Block Universe, London’s leading international performance art festival and commissioning body, will present performances by Egle Budvytyte, Alex Miritziu, and Himali Singh Soin across the weekend in and around Concrete, the OMA-designed building shortlisted for the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

New National Dish: UAE by Center for Genomic Gastronomy, will open on January 24 in Warehouse 48 in Alserkal Avenue. In this forecasting piece, the Center for Genomic Gastronomy imagines the elements of a new national dish for the UAE based on the principle concept that eaters shape the Earth through the foods and stories we celebrate, cultivate, and propagate. The exhibition, produced by Alserkal and inspired by FOOD: Bigger than the Plate at the V&A, has been generously supported by the British Council, DCMS and GREAT through the UK-Gulf Culture and Sport programme. Waseem Kotoub, Senior Programme Manager, Culture and Sport Programme, British Council Gulf says: “UK-Gulf Exhibition Programme aims to build cultural bridges and create opportunities for museums and galleries in both the UK and the Gulf. We hope that this programme will develop strong relationships and leave a lasting legacy.”

Other highlights from the Quoz Arts Fest 2020 programme include:

Ansaf, a contemporary dance performance by Sima Dance Company, choreographed by acclaimed Palestinian choreographer Alaa Krimed, which explores questions and concepts facing the Arab World. The performance will take place on 24 January;

The Reel Palestine Film Festival, which returns for its sixth edition, in collaboration with Cinema Akil, the GCC’s first arthouse cinema whose flagship home is presented in partnership with Alserkal Avenue. For its closing on 25 January, the festival will present two free outdoor screenings: Ambience (2019) by director Wisam Al Jafri, and Hurdle (2019), by director Michael Rowley;

Exchanges, an artist takeover by Sara Naim, featuring 15 ‘stations’ in Alserkal Avenue inviting passers-by to ask or answer questions;

New exhibitions at Alserkal Avenue’s contemporary art galleries, including a solo show by Athier at Ayyam Gallery; Towards Opacity by Vikram Divecha at Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde; Olaf Breuning’s Brainswashed by Nature at Carbon 12; and Such a Morning, a solo exhibition by Anwar Kanwar at Ishara Art Foundation, among others.

Africa & the other 54 countries: Focus on South Africa, an exhibition of art, culture, and cuisine from South Africa by African contemporary art gallery Akka Project;

The Short+Sweet Theatre festival at The Junction, the world’s largest 10-minute play festival;

First Pitch, an exhibition by American University of Sharjah (AUS) CAAD students, who will showcase the results of a semester working on design concepts for Quoz Arts Fest;

A series of talks in collaboration with Nuqat, focused on the creative economy, and drawing from the findings of 11 exploratory sessions across the region;

The Good Vibes Market street food market, with vendors including 1004, 21 Grams, Mama’esh, and Moylo’s Burger;

Live music throughout the weekend with Amina Bensouda, the Najmaat Trio, sets by DJ Sara, Muhaisahfour 4, DJ e-LO, and Satwa 3000 among others;

Boxing demos and classes with Round 10 Boxing, a STRETCH class with Crank in the Yard, and an outdoor Vinyasa yoga session with Shimis Yoga;

Children’s tours and workshops with thejamjar, The Happy Studio, and Wisdom Warehouse.

Follow @alserkalavenue @quozartsfest on Instagram for updates on #quozartsfest2020 #findyouralquoz

In association with : SWYP

Media partners : Kidzapp, Artkentro, Canvas, Magpie

Official radio partner : Dubai 92

New National Dish:UAE exhibition partner : Supported by British Council

Transport partner : Careem

-ENDS-

For press enquiries:
press@alserkal.online

Editor’s Notes

About 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.

About Alserkal
Alserkal is a socially responsible and forward-thinking cultural enterprise dedicated to developing sustainable models for homegrown initiatives and to supporting narratives and research emerging from the Global South. Founded in 2007 by Emirati businessman and patron Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Alserkal is renowned for its ground-breaking artistic productions, experimental approach and for the creation of culturally meaningful spaces that inspire and shape communities. Alserkal 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; providing advisory services to public and private sector entities; and, supporting public artist commissions, residencies, research grants and educational programmes through its non-profit, Alserkal Arts Foundation.

Alserkal has transformed the cultural landscape of Dubai and the UAE through the creation of a thriving, region-specific community of over 70 contemporary art galleries, visual and performing arts organisations, designers and entrepreneur-led businesses at Alserkal Avenue, providing an essential platform for the development of creative industries in the region.

Alserkal utilizes 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.

About Alserkal Avenue
Alserkal Avenue is a vibrant cultural district in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai, and 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 across 500,000sqft and 90 warehouses. Alserkal Avenue provides an essential platform for the development of the creative industries in the United Arab Emirates. 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, as well as the artist residency program of Alserkal’s non-profit, Alserkal Arts Foundation. Alserkal Avenue was established in 2007 by Alserkal following the visionary thinking of its founder, Emirati businessman and cultural patron Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, who sought to cultivate a vibrant creative community and support cultural production in Dubai.