November 1–30, 2019
Alserkal marks the confluence of art, design, and architecture throughout November with commissions, exhibitions and talks, and invites audiences to delve into this rich crossroads through original programming, including:
Is This Tomorrow?, an exhibition by Alserkal Arts Foundation in collaboration with Whitechapel Gallery, London opened in the Aga Khan Award for Architecture shortlisted building Concrete on 6 November, and runs until November 23. Curated by Lydia Yee, it showcases five interdisciplinary projects that offer speculative visions of the future through pairings between leading artists and architects, including Phoenix Will Rise, a site-specific installation by Rana Begum and Marina Tabassum Architects;
we were building sand castles_but the wind blew them away_FINALFINAL3.psd, an Alserkal Arts Foundation Public Art Commission by urban collective METASITU. The Commission, which opened on November 6 and runs until January 25, 2020 in Warehouse 90 (previously known as Nadi Al Quoz), suggests architecture as a process, rather than a finished object. Through it, METASITU explores the cycles of ruinification, ecological footprint, returns, and alternative urban models;
Absolem, Alserkal Avenue’s inaugural design commission by Jeddah-based Bricklab studio transforms how visitors interact with the physical environment through a synthetic intervention that funnels people through. Commissioned by Alserkal Avenue to coincide with Dubai Design Week, Bricklab tackles one of the cultural district’s entrances as though it were “the threshold to a French formal garden—a spatial construct that emphasises a position of apprehension and meticulous control found in the composition of an 18th century allée.” A glossy metallic grid, lined with plastic trees, constructs a forced one-point perspective for the public. By manipulating this perspective, the designers challenge the collapsibility of experience into a single, two-dimensional image, and highlight our multisensory comprehension of space;
New exhibitions at Alserkal Avenue’s contemporary art galleries and not-for-profit foundations open on November 18 for Galleries Day: 1x1 Art Gallery, Ayyam Gallery, Carbon 12, Custot Gallery Dubai, Elmarsa Gallery, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Green Art Gallery, Grey Noise, Ishara Art Foundation, Lawrie Shabibi, Leila Heller Gallery, Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, Showcase Gallery, SVENM, and The Third Line;
A programme of Majlis Talks curated by FOLIO, Alserkal’s digital publication, featuring speakers from across the art, design, and architecture disciplines, including Iraqi photographer Latif Al Ani in conversation with Tamara Abdul Hadi; and artist Dayanita Singh in conversation with Ishara Art Foundation Artistic Director Nada Raza;
Temporary Spaces: Exchanges in Art, Architecture and Photography in the UAE, South Asia and Beyond, a symposium exploring critical perspectives on shared histories, ongoing exchanges, and connections, organised by Alserkal Arts Foundation and Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational, in collaboration with Ishara Art Foundation.
Press enquiries:
Rania Habib
rania [at] alserkalavenue.ae
T +971 50 100 1105
About Alserkal
Founded by Emirati businessman and patron, Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, in 2007, Alserkal is a socially responsible cultural enterprise, which is deeply engaged with the arts locally, regionally and internationally. Through Alserkal Avenue, its renowned cultural district of contemporary art galleries, non-profit organisations and homegrown businesses, Alserkal has cultivated a creative economy in Dubai, supporting cultural production and spearheading disruptive business models, including the OMA-designed Concrete, a state-of-the-art exhibitions and alternative space. In addition, Alserkal supports public art commissions, residencies, research grants and educational programmes through its non-profit, Alserkal Arts Foundation.
