Alserkal Avenue will celebrate the crossroads of art, design, and architecture during November in Alserkal Avenue, a month of curated public programming running in line with UAE-wide design and architecture initiatives, including Dubai Design Week and the inaugural Sharjah Architecture Triennial.
Explore art exhibitions at the district’s contemporary art galleries and not-for-profit foundations; the landmark exhibition 'Is This Tomorrow?' in Concrete, a collaboration between Alserkal Arts Foundation and Whitechapel Gallery; an Alserkal Arts Foundation public art commission in the warehouse formerly known as Nadi Al Quoz by urban collective METASITU; an inaugural design intervention by Jeddah-based Bricklab studio; a programme of talks curated by FOLIO, Alserkal’s digital publication; and 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.
All activities are free and open to the public. Full schedule is below.
Friday, 1 November
SYMPOSIUM | Temporary Spaces: Exchanges in Art, Architecture and Photography in the UAE, South Asia and Beyond
Time | 10AM - 6.30PM
Location | Alserkal Arts Foundation Project Space | Warehouse 50/51
EXHIBITION | YOSHINAO SUGIHARA
A showcase of progressive ideas and works by Japanese paper sommelier Yoshinao Sugihara.
Time | 10AM - 7PM
Date | Until 16 November
Location | CHI-KA | Warehouse 69
Saturday, 2 November
WORKSHOP | UNLEASH INNER CREATIVITY
Sign the young ones, or yourself, up to educational art workshops to explore and unlock inner creativity.
Time | Various times
Date | Until 30 November
Location | The Happy Box | Warehouse 73
The UAE premiere of Kilo 64 brings home an Egyptian tale of growth, struggle, and commitment. The film follows the journey of Wael El-Shenway, an ambitious pharmacy graduate who, moved by the spirit of the 25 January 2011 events, starts a farming business to make a social impact and contribute to the Egyptian economy. This screening is part of Alserkal Avenue programming. Free and open to all, visit cinemaakil.com to RSVP.
Time | 3PM
Location | Cinema Akil | Warehouse 68
Monday, 4 November
ARTIST TALK | STEFANIE ZOCHE
Organised by the Goethe-Institut, visiting artist Stefanie Zoche offers insights on her practice, which has been presented internationally at institutions including Centre Pompidou, Architekturzentrum Vienna, and the Fotomuseum Munich.
Time | 6.30PM
Location | Cinema Room | A4 Space
PERFORMANCE | THE FRIDGE FRINGE WITH FATINIZA
Colombian pop fusion singer and songwriter Fatiniza will perform her original and explosive mix of fiery Latino pop and rock. Get your tickets at thefridgedubai.com
Time | 8PM
Location | The Fridge | Warehouse 5
Tuesday, 5 November
GRAB A BITE | NIGHTJAR DESIGN DISHES & DESIGN DINNERS
Nightjar Coffee Roasters is joining in on the November fun with a selection of Design Dishes and Design Dinners, curated to celebrate design via the juxtaposition of food and art.
Time | 8AM - 9PM
Date | Throughout November
Location | Nightjar | Warehouse 62
Wednesday, 6 November
Time | 6.30PM
Location | Warehouse 90
EXHIBITION OPENING | IS THIS TOMORROW?
A collaboration between Alserkal Arts Foundation and Whitechapel Gallery, this exhibition responds to timely contemporary issues to offer speculative visions of the future through five pairings between artists and architects, including a site-specific installation by Rana Begum and Marina Tabassum to be unveiled in The Yard.
Time | 7PM
Date | Until 23 November
Location | Concrete
Time | 8PM
Location | Concrete
Friday, 8 November
SCREENING | AGNÈS VARDA RETROSPECTIVE
On 8 and 9 November, Cinema Akil looks back at the work of beloved French Director Agnès Varda. Catch favourites such as La Pointe Course, Cléo de 4 à 7, Les Glaneurs et les Glaneuses, and Varda par Vagnes.
Time | Various times
Location | Cinema Akil | Warehouse 68
Saturday, 9 November
Taught by university teachers and artists Ibrahem Swaid and Ahmad Manar Laham, this introductory workshop will start with a painting demo using Procreate, and cover rendering fundamentals.
Ages 16+, AED210/per person.
Time | 11AM - 1PM
Location | thejamjar | Warehouse 74
Experience the world of virtual reality in this free workshop, and learn how to integrate technology with art using HTC Vive devices. 20 minute workshop/person. Visit thejamjardubai.com to RSVP. Ages 10+
Time | 3-7PM
Location | thejamjar | Warehouse 74
Sunday, 10 November
EXHIBITION | 'Lustre' by Bethan Gray
Time | 7.30-10PM
Location | The Odd Piece | Warehouse 65
Monday, 11 November
ALL DAY
Workshop | Creative Engraving
Learn wax-carving, metal smithing, and silver filing through live demonstrations with Hayan Sheikh Othman during Dubai Design Week.
Time | 10AM - 6PM
The Jewel Teller | Warehouse 49
DESIGN COMMISSION OPENING | ABSOLEM
Commissioned by Alserkal Avenue, Jeddah-based architects Turki and Abdulrahman Gazzaz of Bricklab studio tackle the Alserkal Avenue Pedestrian Entrance (Street 6A) as though it were the threshold to a French formal garden.
Location | Alserkal Avenue Pedestrian Entrance
(Street 6A)
DESIGNER-LED TOUR | 6.30PM
LAUNCH | THE AFGHANISTAN BAR
Experience Mirzams' newest collaboration bar, made with heirloom almonds from Ziba Foods grown in Afghanistan, and wrapped with artwork created by Afghan artist Mohammad Zaman Nasih in collaboration with Turquoise Mountain.
Time | 9AM - 10PM
Mirzam Chocolate Makers | Warehouse 70
Tuesday, 12 November
SYMPOSIUM | DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IN THE UAE
The Design Development in the UAE Symposium is a gathering instigated by the Zayed University College of Arts and Creative enterprises for Dubai Design Week. The event presents a curated line-up of contemporary UAE-based designers, showcasing an insight into design practitioners in the UAE who are developing their trade as designers, academics, learners, and teachers. Topics include sustainability from a graphic design context in the UAE, and the evolution of contemporary architecture in the UAE over the past 20 years.
Time | 10AM - 1PM
Location | Zayed University Urban Satellite Space
Warehouse 48
Wednesday, 13 November
Join METASITU on a tour of we were building sand castles_but the wind blew them away_ FINALFINAL3.psd, the public art commission inviting the sand back to Warehouse 90.
Time | 6.30-7PM
Location | Warehouse 90
WORKSHOP | DESIGN EDUCATION IN IMMERSIVE MEDIA
Though the use of augmented and virtual realities has been common in professional sectors for nearly 20 years, their democratisation has recently made them more widespread. Participants will learn how such immersive technologies are being used in design education, examine novel applications, and consider future applications of immersion within design.
Time | 7-10PM
Zayed University Urban Satellite Space | Warehouse 48
Thursday, 14 November
PERFORMANCE | EXPATRIATION AND DESTINY
An Arabic-language play that centres on the daily lives of three middle-aged men and three middle-aged women living away from their home countries, trying to find a life partner.
Time | 8-10PM
Location | The Junction | Warehouse 72
*This performance takes place again on 15 November from 4-6PM and 8-10PM.
Friday, 15 November
TALK | FOOD + DESIGN TO REBUILD COMMUNITIES
Learn about the work of Turquoise Mountain and Ziba Foods, two organisations that support Afghan industries by creating design, production, and international marketing platforms for artisanal Afghan products including high-end traditional craft and heirloom, and wild-grown superfoods.
Time | 5-6PM
Mirzam Chocolate Makers | Warehouse 70
WORKSHOP | FLAT SANDAL MAKING
Walk out with personalised leather sandals after learning basic shoemaking and hand-sewn techniques for leather working.
Time | 10AM - 3PM
Price | AED575/person
Location | Italian Shoe Factory | Warehouse 9
WORKSHOP | METAL STAMPING
Watch a live demonstration or create a personalised hand stamped piece of jewellery with designer Aveen.
Time | 7-10PM
The Jewel Teller | Warehouse 49
PECHAKUCHA NIGHT | GREEN VISION IS OUR POSSIBLE FUTURE
Listen in as architects, journalists, scientists, artists, and designers weigh in on the theme of a green future, and help construct a linguistic, and material vocabulary related to restorative and regenerative design. Held in collaboration with UAE Modern.
Time | 6PM
Location | Alserkal Avenue
Saturday, 16 November
WORKSHOP | CREATIVE WRITING MASTERCLASS: FOLKTALES
Calling all budding authors to this creative writing masterclass, where children can journey through the writing process to create their own 'published' folktale.
Ages 7+
Time | 3PM
Location | Wisdom Warehouse | Warehouse 61
Monday, 18 November
GALLERIES NIGHT
The galleries and creative concepts in Alserkal Avenue will stay open until 10PM, inviting you to discover their new art exhibitions and activations.
Time | 6-10PM
MAJLIS TALK BY FOLIO | LATIF AL ANI, IN CONVERSATION WITH TAMARA ABDUL HADI
Two generations of Iraqi photographers in dialogue, as Latif Al Ani, the founding father of Iraqi photography, speaks with Tamara Abdul Hadi, co-founder of RAWIYA Collective.
The talk will be translated by Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh of Rouya Consultancy.
Time | 4.30PM
Location | Majlis, Warehouse 58
MAJLIS TALK BY FOLIO | DAYANITA SINGH, IN CONVERSATION WITH NADA RAZA
Dayanita Singh pushes the boundaries of photographic practice with great care and attention to form and composition. Her mobile museum and book projects draw on an extensive archive of images from previous bodies of work. Hear her in conversation with Ishara Art Foundation’s Nada Raza.
Time | 5.30PM
Location | Majlis, The Yard
MAJLIS TALK BY FOLIO | METASITU IN CONVERSATION
The artist collective METASITU will discuss the notion of ruin, particularly in the Gulf region, and degrowth urbanism, in relation to the public art commission we were building sand castles_but the wind blew them away_FINALFINAL3.psd
Time | 6.30PM
Location | Majlis, Warehouse 58
ARTIST-LED TOUR | WE WERE BUILDING SAND CASTLES_BUT THE WIND BLEW THEM AWAY_FINALFINAL3.PSD
Join METASITU on a tour of we were building sand castles_but the wind blew them away_ FINALFINAL3.psd, the public art commission inviting the sand back to Warehouse 90.
Time | 7.30PM
Location | Warehouse 90
BOOK LAUNCH | CHAOUKI CHAOUKI
Listen in on a discussion between the artist Chaouki Choukini, Kevin Jones, Nour Salame, and Myrna Ayad exploring Choukini’s practice, and how his new book was conceptualised.
Time |7PM
Green Art Gallery | Warehouse 28
Wednesday, 20 November
PERFORMANCE | SHORT+SWEET COMEDY FESTIVAL
Catch the biggest comedy festival in the region in its third year for a big dose of laughter. Visit thejunctiondubai.com for more information.
Date | Until 23 November
Time | 3.30PM & 7.30PM
Location | The Junction | Warehouse 72
MAJLIS TALKS BY FOLIO | THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE ARCHITECT?
Hashim Sarkis, curator of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia states: "In the context of widening political divides and growing economic inequalities, we call on architects to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together..." Moderated by Nazneen Shafi, regional coordinator GULF for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Director of d.Academy, The Young Architect and Design Programme, and panelists DIDI’s Hani Asfour, and ibda Design and National Pavilion UAE La Biennale de Venezia 2020 Curators Wael Alawar and Kenichi Teramoto will discuss how we can imagine these spaces.
Time | 5.30PM
Location | Majlis, Warehouse 58
MAJLIS TALK | REZA DERAKSHANI, IN CONVERSATION WITH REBECCA ANNE PROCTOR
The artist Reza Derakshani incorporates the forgotten tales and symbols of Iran's cultural heritage during a time when those very traditions are under threat. This conversation with former Harper’s Bazaar Art editor-in-chief Rebecca Anne Proctor will shine a light on Derakshani’s recent trip to Russia, its effect on his work, and the parallels he draws between Iranian and Russian culture in his latest body of work.
Time | 6.30PM
Location | Majlis, Warehouse 58
Friday, 22 November
Join a road trip to visit the Speculative Landscapes exhibition at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, and the 11th edition of Abu Dhabi Art. Spaces are limited, visit alserkalavenue.ae to register.
Time | 11AM - 6.30PM
Meeting point | A4 Space
CURATED TRAIL WITH SONIA BREWIN
Join an exploration of design and architecture in Alserkal Avenue, led by SVENM co-founder Sonia Brewin.
Time | 4PM
Meeting Point | SVENM (Warehouse 79)
SCREENING | KOREAN FILM NIGHTS
Catch screenings of the best of contemporary Korean cinema.
Date | Until 28 November
Time | Various times
Location | Cinema Akil | Warehouse
Saturday, 23 November
EXHIBITION CLOSING | IS THIS TOMORROW?
Closing day of Is This Tomorrow?, a collaboration between Alserkal Arts Foundation and Whitechapel Gallery, this exhibition responds to timely contemporary issues to offer speculative visions of the future through five pairings between artists and architects, including a site-specific installation by Rana Begum and Marina Tabassum in The Yard.
Time | 10AM - 7PM
Location | Concrete
Inspired by art historian Daniel Arasse’s book Take a Closer Look, Alserkal invites you to join in an analysis of artworks in the galleries in Alserkal Avenue. Join arts writer Kevin Jones in an open dialogue that focuses on three works, offering participants the opportunity to consider, challenge, and discover layers of representation.
Time | 4PM
Meeting Point | A4 Space
27 November
LAUNCH | WINTER COLLECTION
Taste and shop Mirzam Chocolate Makers’ Winter collection.
Mirzam Chocolate Makers | Warehouse 70
Saturday, 30 November
LIVE MUSIC WITH NOON
Catch the band NOON in concert, and enjoy their shades of funk groove, African, and Indian percussive rhythms and electronic effects. An audio approximation of the country’s cosmopolitanism and contemporary, borderless ethos, NOON is made up of three players, drawn from different cultural and musical backgrounds. Free and open to all.
Time | 6PM
Location | The Yard, Alserkal Avenue
Date | 18 November
Time | 6PM – 10PM
The galleries and creative concepts in Alserkal Avenue will stay open until 10PM, inviting you to discover their new art exhibitions and activations.
Ayyam Gallery
Faisal Samra | Thriving Emotions - Immortal Moment
Carbon 12
Amba Sayal-Bennett | Every Line Makes a Cut
Custot Gallery Dubai
Group exhibition | Tales of Thread
Elmarsa Gallery
Atef Maatallah | Les bruissements de la pierre (The rustling of the stone)
Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde
Latif Al Ani | Vetera Novis Augere
Green Art Gallery
Chaouki Choukini | Works
Grey Noise
Iqra Tanveer | Letters from the seventh cave
Ishara Art Foundation
Group exhibition | Body Building
Lawrie Shabibi
Hamra Abbas | Open Cube
Leila Heller Gallery
Jean-Paul Najar Foundation
Group exhibition | Building Bauhaus
Showcase Gallery
Group exhibition | Between Me and the Stone
SVENM
SPACE
The Third Line
Anuar Khalifi | Forever Is A Current Event
Guest Project
UAE in Venice 2020
11-24 November
Time | 10AM-7PM
Warehouse 47
Take a first look at the experimental architecture underway for the National Pavilion UAE at the 2020 Venice Biennale. Curators Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto are exploring how the UAE's sabkha (salt flats) can inspire innovative sustainable building materials. Learn more about this unique natural phenomenon and its potential through maps, images, materials samples, and active experiments.
11-23 November
Time | 10AM-7PM
Location | Warehouse 22
What will habitat, food production, colonial expansion, and human behaviour on Mars be like? This exhibition of graduation projects by American University in Dubai students of the School of Architecture, Art and Design showcases architectural visions of an inhabited Mars. Directed by Professor Jose A. Carrillo, the projects explore five utopias supported by current and future technologies.
Keep checking in for the full November in Alserkal Avenue programme.
