Alserkal Avenue celebrates the holy month of Ramadan
Driss Ouadahi, Reconstruction, 2017. Oil on canvas, 180 x 150cm. Courtesy the artist and Lawrie Shabibi.
In light of this year’s Ramadan, Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue – a cluster of architect-designed warehouses home to the region’s foremost arts hub – is hosting a series of events around the holy month, including workshops, screenings, activities and exhibitions.
ART AFRICA looked at a few of the events to get you inspired by Ramadan.
Kamrooz Aram, Untitled (Palimpsest #37), 2015. Oil, oil pastel and wax pencil on canvas, 213 x 183cm. Courtesy the artist and Green Art Gallery.
INKED – a creative platform situated in Alserkal Avenue – will be playing host to Tawlet Souk El Tayeb. A ‘mom’s kitchen and table’ type concept, Tawlet invites cooks from numerous regions of Lebanon to share dishes drawn from their own histories, traditions and hometown flavours – uniting communities and culture through an Iftar celebration of food and traditions.
Tawlet, which translates as ‘table’ in Arabic, was founded in 2004 by Kamal Mouzawak and will take place this year from the 18th until the 24th May. The experience is priced at AED 275 per head, and will feature a generous offering of Lebanese home cooked favourites, a variety of desserts, and hot and cold beverages.
You can book online at www.INKED.ae
Monika Grabuschnigg, Cloud burster, 2016. Glazed Earthenware, gold luster, 71 x 16 x 16cm. Courtesy the artist and Carbon 12.
OPEN TENT by CHI-KA – a contemporary kimono shop and art space in Alserkal Avenue – presents a cross-cultural Ramadan Iftar experience in collaboration with Swiss-born chef, Michael Fessler.
Known for his creativity and international ‘savoir faire’, Fessler is set to create a stimulating culinary menu that brings together Japanese and Middle eastern cuisine – expressing universal values of cultural tolerance, compassion and community building.
OPEN TENT will be hosted in a setting surrounded by minimalist décor, bonsai gardens, calligraphy murals and live oud. An artistic designed prayer room situated next to OPEN TENT will showcase masterful carpets, and a series of post-Iftar activities will be held throughout the Avenue to continue to inspire guests throughout the night.
The month-long experience runs from the 18th May until the 13th June, and is priced at AED 220 per head.
You can book online at www.chikaspace.com/bookings
Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh, Hesam Rahmanian, Madame Tussauds VII, 2015. Gesso, acrylic and ink on canvas, 226.1 x 160.7cm. Courtesy the artists and Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde.
Lawrie Shabibi – a gallery space in Alserkal Avenue – is hosting ‘Each Day an Artist’, an exhibition conceived especially for the holy month of Ramadan.
Opening with the work of one artist on the 12th May, everyday Lawrie Shabibi will introduce the work of another artist, and over the run of the exhibition, a total of 30 artists will be shown.
‘Each Day an Artist’ proposes a new way of viewing art during a month when daily life takes on a new rhythm. Ramadan, as well as being a month of tasting, is a period where slowing down is encouraged, reflecting and reconnecting with family friends and the greater community is lived, and when the relationship to time becomes overridden. ‘Each Day an Artist’ is an opportunity to present a new type of exhibition, and one that is permitted to evolve freely for 30 days in reflection of the pace of Ramadan.
Participating artists include: Farhad Ahrarnia, Kamrooz Aram, Zsolt Bodoni, Nick Devereux, Amir H. Fallah, Monika Grabuschnigg, Sherin Guirguis, Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian, Pouran Jinchi, Mohammed Kazem, Amir Khojasteh, Laleh Khorramian, Philip Mueller, Driss Ouadahi, Nathaniel Rackowe, Michael Sailstorfer, as well as a few surprises.
For more information visit www.lawrieshabibi.com
Ellen Agnew is a writer on ART AFRICA‘s editorial team.
