An Areal view of Al Serkal Avenue by Courtesy Alserkal AvenueDubai Culture & Arts Authority
The development of an arts district in an industrial area has its precedents internationally and Dubai's Al Quoz had already been selected by galleries and artists as a suitable location...
...given its proximity to the centre of Dubai and the major artery Sheikh Zayed Road, as well as the affordable rents for its large warehouses.
Emirati businessman and patron Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal established Alserkal Avenue in a former marble factory in 2007, with Ayyam Gallery the first art gallery to open in 2008. His goal was to cultivate a vibrant creative community and support cultural production in Dubai. From day one it had an experimental and collaborative approach, responding to the current moment and helping to shape and drive the creative economy of the city.
Cinema Akil at The Yard (2020)Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
It aimed to support and provide a space for the cultural infrastructure that was already in existence as well as acting as an incubator for new creative business ideas. Within three years it had the most active contemporary galleries in the region calling it home.
Al Serkal Avenue (2020) by Jandri Angelo AguilorDubai Culture & Arts Authority
Following major extensions to the footprint of the avenue in 2015 it now houses more than 70 leading art galleries,visual and performing arts organisations, designers,home-grown and entrepreneur-led businesses and community spaces in its 500,000 square foot plot and 90 warehouses.
Concrete at Alserkal Avenue by Mohamed SomjiDubai Culture & Arts Authority
In 2017 the multi-disciplinary venue Concrete in the centre of the Yard in Alserkal Avenue opened to the public, the first project by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA in the UAE.
In 2019 Concrete was shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and it has hosted several critically acclaimed exhibitions, most recently ‘New Waves: Mohamed Melehi and the Casablanca Art School Archives’.
November in Alserkal Avenue (2016) by Courtesy Alserkal AvenueDubai Culture & Arts Authority
In 2019 the Alserkal Arts Foundation was formed, a non-profit organisation with directly supports research and new forms of cultural production. It provides grants and directs Alserkal’s commitment to artistic production, scholarship and research.
Alserkal Commissions, pop-up projects and collaborations have been core elements of its active and vibrant curated programming: regional and specifically Dubai focussed, always challenging and pushing boundaries.
The homegrown initiatives that have found success on the avenue are remarkably trans-disciplinary, from all aspects of the visual arts, film, theatre, music and design to culinary, wellness and lifestyle brands.
Al Serkal Avenue (2020) by Jandri Angelo AguilorDubai Culture & Arts Authority
Its balance between commercial and non-profit activities is well-maintained. Another important balance is felt between its permanent, physical urban presence as a community hub and its ideological positioning as a thought leader for the creative industries.
Alserkal Avenue is a vibrant, organic and ever-evolving platform – where important, sustained cultural engagement continues to be cultivated, debated and explored.
