6 exhibitions to check out at Alserkal Avenue this summer

A summer of art awaits

If you frequent art exhibitions in Dubai, then you probably know all about the uber cool, uber trendy Alserkal Avenue. This is Dubai’s hotspot for all things culture, alternative and artsy, filled with galleries, contemporary spaces, pop-up shops, wellness, music and loads of homegrown brands. This summer, head on over to discover a stunning programme of art exhibitions in Dubai opening across the district, spotlighting some incredible artists, both regional and international.

I PAINT YOUR GRACE, I PAINT YOUR PAIN, I PAINT LOVE by Reza Derakshani

Marking the Persian artist’s first solo exhibition in half a decade, this collection follows themes of memory, identity, and transformation, and combines Persian artistic traditions with personal and socio-political themes. Much of the series draws inspiration from Persian miniatures and poetry, reflecting both medieval grandeur and memories of his childhood in northeastern Iran.

Location: Leila Heller Gallery, Warehouse 86/87

Duration: Until September 15

Times: Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm

Contact: (0) 4 321 6942

@leilahellergallery

A Memorial in Fragments by Majd Arandas

A tribute to a creative passed – this exhibit showcases an extensive body of work by Majd Arandas, who was killed by an airstrike near his home in the Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. The exhibit serves to examine how work created in one’s lifetime is not a record for the present, but a testimony for the future, as well as the role of photography as tools of evidence.

Location: Gulf Photo Plus, Warehouse 36

Duration: Until August 13

Times: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm

Contact: (0) 4 380 8545

@gulfphotoplus

Architectures of the In-Between: Group Exhibition

This exhibit brings together the work of Nevine Hamza, Atefeh Majidi Nezhad, and Layla Juma – three artists who share a foundation in architecture that branches out into distinctive visual languages. The pieces explore the threshold between structure and sentiment, material and memory, between what is seen and what is sensed, combining the different architectural languages of all three.

Location: Aisha Alabbar Gallery, Warehouse 19

Duration: Until August 23

Times: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm

Contact: (0) 4 344 7747

@aishaalabbargallery

Sunrise at the Vortex by Nima Nabavi

The second solo exhibition by this Iranian artist, this collection is inspired by his extensive travels to sites across the world considered to be energy centers by different communities, charted in geometry. Nabavi employed an architectural pen-plotter typically used to print building blueprints, and the result is hand-drawn digital compositions rendered line-byline by the machine.

Location: The Third Line, Warehouse 78

Duration: Until July 27

Times: Daily, 11am to 7pm

Contact: (0) 4 341 1367

@thethirdlinedxb

I PUT MY BRAIN ON PAUSE! by Ihab Ahmad

This solo exhibit by Lebanese artist Ihab Ahmad showcases a bold shift in the artist’s career – for the first time, Ihab introduces smiling faces into his paintings inspired by the people and moments in your life. There is also a series of totem-like wooden sculptures  that gives life to Ahmad’s cast of surreal characters.

Location: Firetti Contemporary, Warehouse 29

Duration: Until August 20

Timings: Daily, 11am to 7pm

Contact: (0) 55 228 6475

@firetti.contemporary

No Trespassing: Group Exhibition

This exhibition brings together six UAE-based and South Asian artists – Fatspatrol (Fathima Mohiuddin), H11235 (Kiran Maharjan), Khaled Esguerra, Rami Farook, Salma Dib and Sara Alahbabi – to explore their relationship with the street. The show has been curated by Priyanka Mehra and channels the aesthetics of the streets into a white cube space.

Location: Ishara Art Foundation, Warehouse 3

Duration: Until August 30

Timings: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm

Contact: (0) 4 223 3001

@isharaartfoundation

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