Alserkal Celebrates the Return of Alserkal Art Week 2022

20+ of the region’s strongest contemporary art exhibitions to open on 8 March 2022, reaffirming Alserkal Avenue’s position as the region’s foremost district for contemporary art

Alserkal Arts Foundation brings the first ambisonic sound installation to Dubai with ‘A Slightly Curving Place’ at Concrete

15 February 2022, Dubai, UAE – 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 exhibitions on show in the galleries 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 10pm. 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 that will 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:

Alserkal Arts Foundation | A Slightly Curving Place | 3-22 March 2022 | Concrete

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, which will have late-night opening hours until 10pm from Wednesday to Saturday through the run of the exhibition. This 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 open on 3 March at 7pm, with an introduction by the curator.

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 and performative responses with exhibition collaborators and invited respondents, as well as exhibitions tours on 5, 12, 19 and 22 March. The symposium has been brought to life by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation.

Alserkal Lates | New Exhibitions, Majlis Talks, Guest Projects, Open Studios, Collectors’ Salon

Alserkal Lates will take place in Alserkal Avenue on Tuesday, 8 March, from 10am to 10pm. 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. Majlis Talks will take place from 4.30pm – 7.30pm in The Yard, Alserkal Avenue. This Alserkal Art Week will also feature a Collectors’ Salon at Jossa by Alserkal, presented by OMNIYAT. The Salon, by invitation only, will open from 8-13 March.

Alserkal Arts Foundation’s 2022 Spring Cycle Residents, 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.

Guest projects in Alserkal Avenue include Wamda: a Glimpse, a retrospective by UAE Unlimited, on show in Warehouse 1 from 5-13 March; and a showcase from Athr Gallery, based in Jeddah.

Eleven galleries from Alserkal Avenue will also participate in Art Dubai, including Ayyam Gallery, Carbon 12, Custot Gallery Dubai, Elmarsa Gallery, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Green Art Gallery, Leila Heller Gallery, Lawrie Shabibi, The Third Line, Volte Art Projects and Zawyeh Gallery.

Pictet is Lead Partner of Alserkal Art Week.

"At Pictet, we see art as an important landmark in an ever-changing world – a conviction that has led us to build our very own art collection featuring Swiss art from our founding year 1805 to the present day. We are pleased to join Alserkal Art Week, one of the most popular art festivals in the Middle East, in this partnership that underlines our desire to actively contribute to the cultural development in the region,” shares Daniel Savary, Global Head Middle East & Africa.

Full List of Alserkal Art Week Exhibitions

1x1 Art Gallery

Earth Chronicles

Group exhibition featuring Benitha Persical, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, G R Iranna, Rina Banerjee, Sonia Khurana, Sudarshan Shetty, Tallur L N, Vivek Vilasini

8 March - 30 April 2022

Alserkal Arts Foundation

A Slightly Curving Place

3 March -22 March 2022

On view in Concrete, Alserkal Avenue

Ayyam Gallery

Safwan Dahoul

Opening on 8 March 2022

Carbon 12

Michael Sailstorfer

Heavy Eyes

8 March - 5 May 2022

CHI-KA Space

New perspectives on Hungarian abstraction
Group exhibition featuring Bea Kusovszky, Márton Nemes, Gergő Szinyova
8 March – 14 March 2022

Custot Gallery Dubai

Group exhibition

Sun Is Coming Up

On view until 20 March 2022

eL Seed Studio

Open studio during Alserkal Lates

Elmarsa Gallery

Nja Mahdaoui
JAFR. The Alchemy of Signs
8 March 2022 – 7 May 2022

Firetti Contemporary

Group exhibition

Breaking Boundaries

On view until 15 April 2022

Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

Vikram Divecha

El Dorado

Opening on 8 March 2022

Green Art Gallery

Nazgol Ansarinia

Lakes Drying, Tides Rising

Opening on 8 March 2022

Grey Noise

Shreyas Karle

Shifting the Center Table

On view until 31 March 2022

Gulf Photo Plus

Group exhibition

Lara Chahine and Reem Falaknaz

8 March - 15 April 2022

Ishara Art Foundation

Jitish Kallat

Order of Magnitude

On view until 1 July 2022

Lawrie Shabibi

Hamra Abbas

COLOR | GARDEN

8 March - 7 May 2022

Leila Heller Gallery

Solo exhibitions

​​Reza Derakshani

Wim Delvoye

Naeemeh Kazemi

Date TBC

Mestaria Gallery

Mike Arnold

Odyssey

8 March - 27 March 2022

Swatch Art Peace Hotel

Group exhibition

Celebrating 10 years of Swatch Art Peace Hotel

On view until 31 March 2022

The Third Line

Solo exhibition

Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige

Opening 8 March 2022

UAE Unlimited

Group exhibition

Wamda: A Glimpse

5 March - 13 March 2022

Volte Art Projects

The Guernica Project

Rahgava KK

On view until 16 April 2022

Zawyeh Art Gallery

Group exhibition

Entangled Branches

8 March - 14 May 2022

------ENDS------

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Alserkal

Alserkal is a socially responsible and forward-thinking cultural enterprise dedicated to developing sustainable models for homegrown initiatives. 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. The organisation 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 utilises 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 500,000 sqft 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 2008 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.

For more information, please visit https://alserkal.online/

Follow Alserkal on social media @alserkalavenue #alserkal #alserkalartweek

About The Pictet Group

The Pictet Group is a partnership of eight owner-managers, with principles of succession and transmission of ownership that have remained unchanged since foundation in 1805.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded there, Pictet as a financial institution today employs over 5000 people. It has 30 offices worldwide, in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Basel, Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, Lausanne, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Monaco, Montreal, Munich, Nassau, New York, Osaka, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, Stuttgart, Taipei, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Turin, Verona and Zurich.

About OMNIYAT
One of the most visionary real estate development and service groups in the Gulf Region, OMNIYAT creates living canvases of residential, commercial, hospitality and retail spaces: a one-of-a-kind premium experience. Approaching the design, development and management of each OMNIYAT property as if it were a unique work of art.

OMNIYAT nurtures and maintains close relationships with the world’s leading architects, engineers, interior designers and artists. Each project is unique, designed to create a superior return on investment and to give every homeowner the OMNIYAT guarantee of living in a bespoke space that reflects their personality, achievements and ambitions.

ALSERKAL CONTACTS:

George Hanna

george@alserkal.online

+971 50 558 7776

Mridula Muraleedharan

mridula@alserkal.online

+971 50 100 1105