Dubai ­ Alserkal Avenue announces a selection of 15 new art galleries, cultural organisations and creative businesses to join the developing arts and culture hub in the fall of 2015. The announcement marks the first in a series of concept launches planned throughout the year in tandem with commissions and events by Alserkal Avenue’s newly established homegrown programme.

Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Alserkal Avenue Founder and Patron of the Arts comments, “Today, Alserkal Avenue is a community unlike any other. It is a community of creative visionaries, rising in unison with the patronage and providence of our country’s leaders, who put culture at the core of their worldview. It is a community of creative thought leaders and talents who mark not only this new ground, but also the fabric of the city and country beyond, and the entire cultural landscape of the region.”

Contemporary art remains at the heart of the Avenue with the following international galleries making their first foray onto the regional stage: Leila Heller Gallery, New York, will join the Avenue to exhibit an extensive programme of contemporary Western and Middle Eastern artists, including exceptional works from the 20th century; Stephane Custot Gallery, Dubai aims to create dialogue between influential modern masters and international contemporary artists from East and West; MB& F M.A.D. Gallery, Geneva/Taipei, introduces kinetic art and limited edition design with a focus on horology.

Vilma Jurkute, Director of Alserkal Avenue, remarks, “The interest from international galleries in moving into MENA reflects the growth of the region’s contemporary art scene. Together with our homegrown galleries, they create a strong foundation for dialogue, collaboration and exchange – all central to what Alserkal Avenue is passionate about and strongly invested in.”
Bringing local flavour to the lineup of contemporary art galleries, regional pioneer The Third Line, Dubai, which represents preeminent Middle Eastern contemporary artists, including Monir Farmanfarmaian and Farhad Moshiri, will move to its new home on the Avenue.

The galleries will be joined by Paris-initiated Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, a partnership with Alserkal Avenue, which will present European and American post-minimal works from the 1960s through the 1990s and host a programme of activities around abstraction.

In addition to galleries and arts organisations, the Avenue will welcome an increasingly diverse range of creative businesses in design, performance, film, and food, all of which will be supported by a strong homegrown programme featuring a live-in artist residency and a cultural radio project. Tairone Bastien, Programming Director of Alserkal Avenue adds, “These new platforms are initiatives through which Alserkal Avenue will be working directly with artists going forward, establishing new fora to connect and give voice to the region’s artists.”

In the realm of the performing arts, the Avenue will have a new community black-box theatre The Junction, and the established community arts space thejamjar.

Trained architect and engineer inter | act design studio will focus on creating interactive installations that influence the surrounding spatial experience.

Design will be represented in the Avenue with SVENM, an architecture and design firm specialising in the cultural and residential sectors, and Limah Design Consultants, an international multi-disciplinary design firm with a focus on wayfinding, urban elements and public art. Nostalgia Classic Cars pays homage to vintage motoring and will display limited edition, hard-to-find masterpieces.

Unique food concepts will also be moving to the Avenue; Inked is about food and creativity. The space will host events and serve as a platform for everything culinary. Good Vibes Market aims to bring together the community in vibrant themed markets around the streets of Alserkal Avenue. Wild and the Moon is a cold-pressed juice and smoothie bar with a focus on natural, organic, raw, plant based, gluten and dairy free food that provides a healthy and delicious alternative.

In line with its mission to advance the growth of art and culture in the region by nurturing a diverse and sustainable ecosystem, Alserkal Avenue will make further announcements on homegrown initiatives and new concepts in 2015.
For a full list of art galleries and cultural organisations currently on Alserkal Avenue, including those participating in the evening’s Galleries Night on Monday, 16 March, please visit <http://media.ne.cision.com/l/pawcbrop/www.alserkalavenue.ae/>www.alserkalavenue.ae