ART EVENT Explore the Contemporary Art Scene at Quoz Arts Festival 2014

The community-based event returns with an expanded programme, which will offer public events spanning design, music, art and film, across 45 creative spaces in Al Quoz’s arts district. Running from 10am till 10pm, the festival is free to attend and is open to all, making it a great initiative for the community to get involved in the local arts scene.

This year’s line-up will include live art and public murals by local artists, workshops, film screenings, gallery openings, live music performances and a street food market. Dedicated family-friendly events and workshops will take place through the day catering to children and parents alike.

Quoz Arts Festival / Courtesy of Alserkal Avenue

In Al Quoz, thejamjar will have a sound mapping workshop with ISEA from 10am and The Third Line Gallery will have a solo exhibition by Babak Golkar titled ‘The Return Project’. The Mine will have a group exhibition and Meem Gallery will exhibit Steve Sabello. Gallery Ward will hold a children’s painting workshop as well as a tour of their exhibition ‘Egyption Beliefs’ by artist Adel Tharawat. Total Arts will also hold a papercut workship run by exhibiting artist Yasmin Sinai.

One of the highlights of the festival will be Alserkal Avenue’s galleries opening their doors to visitors in the late afternoon, inviting them to explore the contemporary art scene through a range of new exhibitions. These will include a solo show by Iranian American artist Sarah Rahbar at Carbon 12 along with a chance to see a display of selected unique works of some of the best artists the gallery represents; a showcase of Mohammed Kazem at Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, a retrospective by Faisal Samra at Ayyam Gallery including a special installation within the Avenue; a showcase of Driss Ouadahi at Lawrie Shabibi, a jewellery exhibition by Ayam Africa at Showcase gallery; and, a live tintype portrait demonstration at Gulf Photo Plus, where exhibiting artist Antoine Robertson will be available to talk to visitors.

Quoz Arts Festival / Courtesy of Alserkal Avenue

Guided tours by collector Wael Hattar, gallery directors and Ipek Ulusoy Akgul, curator for Green Art Gallery’s new group show ‘Proposals on Monumentality’ will give people a chance to learn more about the galleries and their programmes. The Fridge will feature live musical performances from 5pm onwards and A4 Space will be host to Dubai International Film Festival short film screenings.

Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, developer of Alserkal Avenue and patron of the arts, said, “The Quoz Arts Festival provides a great platform for cultural development. Art brings the community together and it is through initiatives such as Quoz Arts Festival that we can further cultivate cultural exchange, which we hope will grow within the Alserkal Avenue Expansion, due to be launched in 2015.”

Vilma Jurkute, director of Alserkal Avenue said, “Quoz Arts Festival is a wonderful way for people to discover the creative fabric of Al Quoz, including Alserkal Avenue. To complement the festival programme, Alserkal Avenue will host additional educational events for the community through our A4 Space.”

Hetal Pawani, Director of ArtintheCity, and co-organiser of the Quoz Arts Festival, said, “I am excited to reveal a broad programme of events for the whole family across Al Quoz, including public art activities at thejamjar.”

Anticipating an increased number of visitors over previous years, the Festival is encouraging visitors to use public transportation to get to Al Quoz, with taxi stands and Uber available for all to use. The festival, which first took place in 2012, has become a cultural fixture on Dubai’s calendar. It provides an accessible platform for homegrown talent and gives visitors the unique opportunity to discover the local arts scene and engage with gallerists, artists, creatives and like-minded culture enthusiasts.

Full programme and Information to the public is available on www.alserkalavenue.ae and www.artinthecity.com as well as the respective social media channels.

Creative Spaces and Galleries in Al Quoz: A4 Space, Art Sawa, Art*ry, Artissima, Ayyam Gallery, Carbon12, The cARTel, Capsule Arts Studio, Capital D, The Cartoon Art Gallery, The Courtyard Gallery, The Courtyard Playhouse, Empty 10, FN Designs, The Fridge, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Gallery Ward, Green Art Gallery, Grey Noise, Gulf Photo Plus, The Inbetween Space, thejamjar, JAMM Art Gallery, Khak Gallery, Lammtara Production, Lawrie Shabibi, La Galerie Nationale, LMTD, Meem Gallery, The Mine, Mojo Gallery, Mottahedan Projects, Muse Artz, Mussawir Art Gallery, Salsali Private Museum, Satellite, Showcase, Total Arts, The Third Line, Xpoze.

Quoz Arts Festival / Courtesy of Alserkal Avenue

Alserkal Avenue

Alserkal Avenue is an arts and culture hub within the industrial quarter of Dubai; it currently houses over 20 contemporary art galleries,as well as alternative arts and community spaces. A major expansion is currently underway and is due to launch in March 2015. TheUS$ 14 million-project, supported by the Alserkal family, will treble the size of the Avenue, and will create a vibrant arts and culture hub in Dubai. In addition to prominent regional and international galleries, the extension will bring a wide spectrum of creative spaces to life, including a black box theatre, independent cinema, artists’ studios and outdoor performance venue, the extension will redefine the cultural landscape of Dubai and establish Alserkal Avenue as the ideal space for the exchange of ideas and the development of home-grown cultural and artistic initiatives.

ArtintheCity

ArtintheCity is an umbrella project by thejamjar that unites arts and culture in the UAE and the wider GCC region through a comprehensive website, a listings publication, the ArtBus, public arts initiatives and design projects, a platform for the UAE arts and culture scene to a local and International audience.