Al Serkal Venue or shall we call it neighborhood; is an art hub that welcomes design & creative community like minds to celebrate, indulge, treat, eat and shop.

“Alserkal Avenue expansion means a bigger canvas for the community”

In 2015 the organisation opened a 250,000-square-foot expansion, doubling its size and welcoming new galleries into the mix. later, it opened dedicated exhibition spaces for temporary programming, a black box theater called The Junction, an outdoor performance venue, the region’s first art cinema, as well as design stores and high-concept restaurants.

The commercial galleries broaden the area’s already noted international flavor. El Marsa, a Tunisian gallery, will have an outpost focusing on art of North Africa; while 1×1 Gallery will show Indian art.

The prestigious Leila Heller Gallery, based in New York, is now showing international contemporary emerging and mid-career artists whose credibility has gained us worldwide recognition for being a pioneer in boosting contemporary artists from the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Turkey.

The Jean-Paul Najar Foundation also opened in the district, showing the late French collector’s holdings: predominantly European and American work from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Alserkal Avenue will also get its first residency programm, with a studio attached, giving artists the chance to live and work within the centralized hub. Such activities are the most important facet of the site.

The following are some highlights of Gallery Night that took place on Monday 26th September 2016:

#1 THE GALLERY WORKSHOP

The Gallery Workshop combines the traditional craft of picture framing with digital technologies, and applying commercial experience to maximize the potential of the artwork, photograph or idea.

The Gallery Workshop is equipped to manage all types of projects, from framing of a single original painting or an entire exhibition production.

#2 GULF PHOTO PLUS

Exhibition title “When Time Does Not Exist” by Stephane Lagoutte and Randa Mirza. A series of digitally manipulated photographs of Beirut city on memories.

“Nowhere is Beirut’s paradoxical nature seem more starkly than in its relationship to time. Beirut is a city where the past and the present entwine in unpredictable ways, where the past with its memories and lingering scars of was burst through the windows of the city’s evolving contemporary identity”

Just as the city unites disparate elements into one cohesive whole, the exhibition “When Time Does Not Exist” units two photographic series offering very different view of the city One is poetic and nostalgic another bitter and almost sarcastic. But both take present-day city as a departure point for a symbolic travel in time.

#3 SHOWCASE

Exhibition title “We are but one thread” by Emarati Artist Ahmed Al Faresi. The exhibition is based on fictional account that embodies a fusion between Native American and Arab nomadic tribes. The outcome is a shamanistic tribal society that challenges scientific anthropology.

Shamanism is a psychic, emotional and spiritual healing system used to explore non-material worlds and states of mind. Each artwork is intended to resemble a relic from this fictional ancient society. They aim to engage the viewer on a spiritual level and explore the meaning of shamanism from the perspective of an Arab artist.

Another outrageous and bold work at Showcase Gallery was by the Syrian artist Sabhan Adam – mixed media works on canvas.

Sabhan Adam painting methods differ between skepticism and humor, pain and despotism. His subjects seem to live in a place that tears the watcher out of complacency into an uncomfortable plane of existence, where any reference to beauty depends on your level of discomfiture.

One more outstanding work at Showcase Gallery was by Leonardo Sezhendo (First Kiss), who learnt his skills from the infamous Nicholas Mukomberanwa. His work is also now part of the permanent work of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.

Colleen Madamombe – First Bath – Springstone

#4 The cARTel

The cARTel is the ultimate destination for cutting edge avant-garde fashion in the UAE. This wearable art gallery and concept store is an exclusive platform for over 60 international designers to showcase and sell their work in an environment granting customers an all around alternative and luxurious shopping experience.

The cARTel creates a symbiosis between fashion and art; reflected in showcased items, the store’s interior aesthetics, and in the events curated regularly, which include fashion film screenings, fashion exhibitions and talks, to offer a dynamic fashion agenda throughout a year.

One of my favorite pieces from the cARTel collection is a perfect Exocet bag – Graphic clean cut hand bag with a 3D printed hybrid bull with wings in SLS (Plastic Powder), thick fine grain natural dyed cow skin.

#5 IKONHOUSE

Ikonhouse has a genuine passion for craftsmanship and celebrate the finest materials whether it be furniture, lighting, audio visual or home automation technology.

The concept was born from the marriage of two intrinsic considerations in architecture. The first is the material elements like furniture, lighting and flooring. The second is the control of environments through integrated automation systems. The result is a globally unique lifestyle retail concept presenting arrangements of branded original designs and cutting edge technology.