Art Jameel is opening up a brand new, 10,000 sq. metre space at the Dubai Creek it has announced today. The three-storey Jameel Arts Centre will officially open to the public on November 11 and bring it with a packed calendar of events to celebrate and support the artistic talent present in the region.
Antonia Carver, the Director of Art Jameel, said in a release, “After year’s of engaging with communities in the region and globally through heritage, educational and arts-related programming, we are excited to launch our first dedicated space here in the UAE. Jameel Arts Centre is set to not only expand the public’s engagement with our extensive collection and library, but also present museum-quality exhibitions in partnership with local, regional and global collaborators. Through new commissions of immersive works, a dedicated research space and ongoing public programming for many communities of all ages, Jameel Arts Centre aims to be a truly innovative new cultural hub.”
To begin with, the Centre will launch a series of four solo shows in what it’s calling Artist’s Rooms (with works by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, Saudi Arabian artist Maha Mullah, Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh, and works curated by the Centre from the late Pakistan artist and activist Lala Rukh) as well as one group exhibition, titled Crude. The exhibition explores oil in historic and contemporary contexts across five galleries via the work of 17 artists, many of whom are from the Middle East, including Latif Al Ani, one of Iraq’s most well-known photographers. Plus, there will also be a series of installations by the likes of Vikram Divecha, Lara Favaretto and Shaikha Al Mazrou.
The Centre will also be home to 10 different galleries, a 300 sq. metre research centre and library, a project space, members’ lounge, a restaurant and gardens which have been designed to reflect the UAE’s desert environment.
Furthermore, the Roof Terrace will be home to the winning work from the 2018 Art Jameel Commissions competition (it debuted this year) by Kuwait-based artists Alia Farid and Aseel AlYaqoub called Contrary Life: A Botanical Light Devoted To Trees.
Until then, discover the new exhibition open at NYU Abu Dhabi.
