This Ramadan, there is a lot happening in the arts and cultural neighbourhood of Alserkal Avenue; and the good news for art lovers is that there are many arts related events taking place late in the evenings. This year Alserkal Avenue added many new art and design spaces to the complex after an ambitious expansion project, and has launched its own creative programming to encourage and foster local talent and to engage the local community with art. The programme for Ramadan includes a wide variety of creative activities and events ranging from a daily iftar with a creative menu, and guided tours of exhibitions to film screenings, artists’ talks, art workshops, and interesting commissioned projects.
As part of the Alserkal Lates programme, every Wednesday the art galleries in the neighbourhood will be open until 11pm, and visitors are invited to join a guided tour of the exhibitions at 8.30pm, and to attend talks, film screenings and workshops organised by individual galleries. The arts complex is hosting an iftar, #ThisIsNotABuffet every evening throughout Ramadan. Warehouse 90 near The Yard has been transformed into a cosy dining area, where families can come together and enjoy a contemporary Arabic Iftar, along with live music performances, and activities such as board games and trivia nights.
Alserkal Avenue’s summer film programme, arranged in collaboration with Cinema Akil, was also launched on June 8 and will run until September 2, with film screenings during Ramadan taking place on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9pm in the A4 Space auditorium.
The programme titled A Hard Day’s Night features artists’ videos, documentaries and films from around the world that examine notions of the workforce and industry, and explore the meaning of labour, process, technology, craft and rigour and their imprints on the human condition.
The films include timeless classics such as Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” set in a hyper-mechanised future; Aki Kaurusmaki’s “The Match Factory Girl”, which tells a personal story of perilous grunt work; John Ford’s “The Grapes of Wrath” and Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” as well as films for the family, such as “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. The screening tonight (June 17) is “The Overnighters” by American director Jesse Moss. Hayao Miyazaki’s animated, sci-fi film “Castle in the Sky” will be screened next week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; and “Metropolis” will be shown on June 29 and 30 and July 1.
Community arts space The Jam Jar, which has recently moved to Alserkal Avenue, is hosting a programme of workshops and events designed for art enthusiasts of all ages as well as arts professionals and artists. This includes Out|Side, a programme created in collaboration with guest curator Beth Derderian, a cultural anthropologist, who is currently doing her doctoral research on contemporary arts practice in the UAE. The programme includes film screenings, artists’ talks and panel discussions with curators, gallerists and heads of art institutions and foundations in the UAE, to be held at 8.30pm every Wednesday.
The aim is to encourage conversations and thinking about art outside of its traditional boxes, such as art and art education that occurs outside art historical canon, outside the museum, outside traditional engagement strategies and more. DIY art stations will be available for children above seven years to facilitate attendance by parents.
Out|Side kicked off on June 15 with “Outside the museum: urban and street art”, featuring an introduction to the work of famous street artists Banksy and Dubai-based eL Seed; a discussion about eL Seed’s recent large-scale project in Cairo; and screening of the film, “Exit the Gift Shop”.
The topic for next Wednesday (June 22) is “Outside arts education and engagement in the UAE”, and will feature a panel discussion on the innovative ways in which commercial art galleries and other institutions in the UAE are playing a vital role in educating the public about contemporary art in the absence of contemporary art museums. The discussion on June 29, “Outside the arts curriculum”, will be about rethinking the arts curriculum in the region outside the Western art historical canon. The programme continues in August with a discussion on “Outside arts policy and infrastructure” and “Outside scholarly approaches to art”.
The Jam Jar, which houses the region’s first public DIY painting studio, is also offering a special painting package for families during Ramadan. This includes four canvases of different sizes for Dh250, so that families can enjoy painting together, and take the paintings home to create their own art salon.
The art space is also hosting a variety of art workshops for all ages throughout summer, starting with a workshop, Drawing from Life, on June 24 and Abstract Watercolours Painting on June 25. The drawing workshop will be conducted by artist Alison O’Grady, founder of Sketchbound, and will cover gestural drawing and a variety of poses with a live model. The workshop is designed to help participants improve their observation skills, develop their drawing technique and build confidence in drawing the human form. Artist Anna Galea will conduct the painting workshop. Both workshops are open to art lovers of all skill levels.
Registration is also open for The Jam Jar’s Arts and Crafts Exploration summer camp for children aged 4 to 12, which runs from July 3 to September 1. This includes a variety of creative activities such as geometric pattern making, basic printmaking, charcoal drawing, abstract watercolours, action painting and graffiti. Participants can join morning and/or evening sessions, and they can choose to attend the entire programme or select any number of individual sessions. Parents are also invited to enjoy a DIY painting session while their children attend the camp.
For more information, visit www.alserkalavenue.ae and www.thejamjardubai.com
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.
