Alserkal Art Week: The popular art festival is back this year

And it’s packed with exhibitions, commissions and talks…

Alserkal Avenue is one of those spots in Dubai that’s always bustling and it’s about to get busier next week as Alserkal Art Week is back from March 22 to 27.

Last year, the event went virtual in an attempt to stem the spread of Covid-19. This year, Alserkal Art Week is back to a live event with all the safety and precautionary in place and it’s packed with art exhibitions, commissions and talks.

Here’s what to watch out for during the six-day event.

Art exhibitions

When: March 22 to 27

Alserkal Avenue is packed with art galleries that will be hosting art exhibits during Alserkal Art Week. Participating venues include 1×1 Art Gallery, Ayyam Gallery, Carbon 12, Elmarsa Gallery, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Green Art Gallery, Grey Noise, Gulf Photo Plus, Ishara Art Foundation, Lawrie Shabibi, Leila Heller Gallery and Zawyeh Gallery.

Don’t skip checking out pieces of Sacha Jafri’s, ‘The Journey of Humanity’ which was awarded a Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas at Leila Heller Gallery.

The whole artwork scales 17,176.6 square feet but only a few pieces will be on display at the art festival. The rest of the painting is part of Sacha’s charitable initiative ‘Humanity Inspired’ and the artist hopes to raise more than 30 million dollars when they get put up for auction.

British artists, The Connor Brothers will also be showing ten exclusive artworks from their Pulp Fiction series at the festival. The duo is best known for their signature style of witty slogans painted over historical pop culture images and this exhibit is special because it will feature works that feature the Arabic language. So, it’s another exhibit you must check out.

which will be on display to the public at Alserkal Art Week in Dubai from 22^nd – 27^th March 2021.

Alserkal Avenue is also home to a new art gallery called Warehouse29, so it’s another must-visit. The gallery will be putting on a solo exhibition showing two artworks – Iceberg and Earth, in support of the awareness of global warming and the melting ice caps.

Galleries Night

When: March 22, 4pm to 9pm

This coordinated event will see exhibitions, artist commissions, and pop-up projects across Alserkal Avenue. It’s open to the public and you can catch plenty of new contemporary works of art.

Lectures, performances and screenings

Book your spots in to listen to speakers and artists as they present their research on their works.

There will be an interesting conversation between Tania Ursomarzo and Nada Raza who will be discussing the making of the ‘2021 Yard Commission’ –the shared community space at Alserkal Avenue.

Seats are limited for the lectures, so you will need to book your spot at info@alserkalartsfoundation.ae

Cinema Akil will be screening Casablanca on March 26 at 8pm and again on March 27 at 8.30pm. It will take place at The Yard. Get your tickets here.

Workshops and Competitions

Community art space, thejamjar is hosting a series of weekly classes for adults, children and toddlers. To check out the classes and to book your spot, head to this link here.

Wisdom Warehouse will also be hosting a ‘Power of Imagination Workshop Series’ to test your mind and think outside of the box when creating your masterpiece.

For all your creative folks out there, Boutique fitness gym, CRANK is hosting a competition to design their next piece of merchandise. The prize: a one-month membership at CRANK and a percentage of the proceeds from the sales during Art Week. Get the details from here.

For more information on Alserkal Art Week, visit their website here. 

Alserkal Art Week, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, March 22 to 27, 4pm to 9pm. Tel: (0)4 333 3464. @alserkalavenue 

Images: Supplied