16 November 2015
Alserkal Avenue
Dubai
UAE
www.alserkalavenue.ae
Alserkal Avenue is pleased to announce exhibitions to be presented by new galleries joining the Avenue on the occasion of Galleries Night on 16 November. Held in conjunction with Abu Dhabi Art week, the evening will see the Avenue’s galleries—both existing and new—showcase works by top regional and international talent.
Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai, The Third Line, Dubai, Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, Dubai, and Custot Gallery, Dubai, will welcome art enthusiasts to their new homes on the Avenue for the first time.
Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal Avenue, said, “The launch of these respected international and regional galleries is affirmation of how far Alserkal Avenue has come as a community for the promotion of arts and culture. We have long worked with gallerists to conserve and build a legacy of arts and culture in the region, and we look forward to making a similar impact in the international context as well.”
As reflected in the galleries’ maiden shows, contemporary art remains at the heart of the Avenue. Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai, will debut its space on the Avenue with separate solo exhibitions by Ghada Amer and Wim Delvoye. The presentation of works by Amer will be curated by Dr. Shiva Balaghi and will include the artist’s iconic embroidered paintings, metal sculpture, and her latest foray into ceramics. The new body of work in ceramic includes paintings and abstract sculptures, the result of several years of intensive immersion in the medium by the artist and will be publicly exhibited for the first time. Belgian artist Delvoye will also exhibit new sculptures created specifically for the gallery. The show will also feature a suspended life-sized wrought iron sculpture of a 60s-era Maserati alongside suitcases in the identical medium, all recently forged in Iran by the artist and local craftsmen. The gallery’s Project Space will feature Delvoye’s tire works and other small-scale sculptures.
Stephane Custot Gallery, Dubai, will open during Galleries Night giving art enthusiasts and visitors an opportunity to view their 700 square metre space prior to their inaugural exhibition, East Meets West, in January 2016.
Building on his success in Paris and then London with Waddington Custot Galleries, Stephane Custot aims to create a dialogue between modern masters and international contemporary artists from the East and West. The inaugural show will present historically important modern and contemporary works by artists including Frank Stella, Fabienne Verdier, Pierre Soulages, Robert Indiana, Bernar Venet, Ian Davenport, Marc Quinn, Jean Dubuffet, Zao Wou-Ki and Chu Teh-Chun.
November’s Galleries Night will not only celebrate the Avenue’s widening cultural footprint with the launch of internationally recognised galleries, but also unveil partnerships and mark the openings of Dubai’s established galleries.
The Paris-initiated Jean-Paul Najar Foundation will open a permanent space for its collection in Dubai in partnership with Alserkal Avenue. The foundation’s opening show, Vision & Legacy, will provide an insightful look into the founder’s lifelong friendships with artists—supporting their practice not only by acquiring work but also organising exhibitions to further their careers. Reflecting on Najar’s immense care for and understanding of the artists, the exhibition will present individual masterpieces from 1970 to 1990, including letters and ephemera from several artists throughout the decades. By making its permanent home in Dubai, the Jean-Paul Najar Foundation is honoured to connect this seminal period of art history to the extraordinary energy of such a burgeoning international art destination.
Regional pioneer The Third Line, Dubai, which represents preeminent Middle Eastern contemporary artists, will mark its move to the Avenue with a solo show by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian titled Works on Paper, following the artist’s critically acclaimed retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, this past spring. The show will focus on Farmanfarmaian’s drawings alongside the soft launch of the artist’s new publication Works on Paper, authored by Hans-Ulrich Obrist. The book will be available at the gallery’s new bookstore to coincide with the show. The Third Line will also present a new film by Youssef Nabil.
Vilma Jurkute, Director of Alserkal Avenue remarked, “Seeing regional stalwarts move into the Avenue endorses the growth that we have seen in the region’s affinity and curiosity for artistic expression. That same cultural renaissance has encouraged us to pursue partnerships such as Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, bringing a unique artistic and cultural perspective to our space.”
These exhibitions will take place as part of the first phase of openings at Alserkal Avenue’s expansion, which was launched in March 2015. Additional launches and exhibitions are slated for January and March 2016 in conjunction with upcoming Galleries Nights.
For a full list of art galleries and cultural organisations currently on Alserkal Avenue please click here.
Non-UAE press enquiries:
Jen Mora, Sutton PR, T + 1 212 202 3402 / jen.mora [at] suttonpr.com.
UAE press enquiries:
Haniya Bhatty, Communications Executive, T +97150 5587776 / haniya [at] alserkalavenue.ae.
About Alserkal Avenue
Alserkal Avenue is the region’s foremost arts and culture neighbourhood located in Al Quoz, Dubai. Since it was established in 2007, Alserkal Avenue has grown to become an essential platform for the development of homegrown artistic and cultural initiatives, supporting a vibrant community of contemporary art galleries and alternative art spaces, together with design, media and industrial studios. In 2015 Alserkal Avenue began introducing its own homegrown programme as an arts organization, dedicated to encouraging new ideas, open dialogue and a more diverse and rich eco-system for art in the region.
Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal Avenue and patron of the arts
Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal was born and raised in Dubai. After graduating from university in the United States, he began his career in real estate and development in the UAE. A patron of the arts, he conceived of Alserkal Avenue, combining his passion for the arts with his interest in real estate. Abdelmonem is the driving force behind Alserkal Avenue, which today houses some of the region’s most prominent contemporary art spaces. Looking to extend the reach and cultural impact of the Avenue, Abdelmonem initiated the Alserkal Avenue expansion, which was launched in early 2015. In addition to more gallery space, the expansion is home to salient features such as a black box theatre and outdoor performance venue, affirming Alserkal Avenue’s presence as an arts and culture hub of international standing. Abdelmonem and the Alserkal family have long been supporters of the arts and have been awarded the Patron of the Arts award twice, in 2012 and 2013, by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.