Shahd Alhamdan
Saudi Gazette
DUBAI - “Sculpture,” “Ya Latif,” “Everything Must Go” and “Documentary Drawing of the Kafr Qasem Massacre” were some of the new gallery exhibitions unveiled at Alserkal Avenue during this year’s Art Week in Dubai.
Alserkal Avenue, which had a rich program during Art Week 2017 including new gallery exhibitions and workshops, is located in Al Quoz, Dubai.
Alserkal Avenue is the region’s foremost arts and culture neighborhood. Visitors can also buy special chocolates from Mirzam Chocolate Makers and enjoy looking at several vintage cars in the area.
Sculptures
Plenty of sculptures and collected pieces by Ramin Salsali are showcased in this exhibition that began on March 13 and will continue until Aug. 1. The presented pieces were collected by Salsali over 20 years ago and each tells a story that people can personally relate to.
Ya Latif
A solo exhibition by Tunisian artist Khaled Ben Slimane who is participating with his art for the first time in the UAE, the exhibition began on March 9 and will run until May. Located in Elmarsa Gallery, his paintings and sculptures include some of God’s names and the pieces are very spiritual and emit positive messages.
Everything Must Go
Another solo exhibition that is located on the Third Line Avenue at Alserkal, Sophia Al Maria is presenting an iteration of Black Friday and showcasing the chaotic acts of consumers on the day. It focuses on negative consuming habits and attitudes. The exhibition opened on Feb. 22 and closes on March 25.
Documentary Drawing of the Kafr Qasem Massacre
“Documentary Drawing of the Kafr Qasem Massacre,” is a solo exhibition by New York City-based Palestinian artist Samia Halaby that is being held in Ayyam. The exhibition, which was launched during the first day of Art Dubai 2017, initiated by Art Dubai Group and supported by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture” and Meraas is the region’s largest cultural festival taking place from March to April 27.
Halaby is showcasing the story of 49 Palestinians who were murdered by Israeli border guards in 1956 in Kafr Qasem. The paintings, mostly in black, grey, and white, depict the tragedy that those victims and their families faced.
Since most of the artist’s paintings are based on series of experiments and investigations to transfer reality into art, she spent more than a decade doing research and interviews, and collecting pictures and information as references on the catastrophic massacre.
Halaby, before starting on this collection, interviewed some of the survivors as well as family members of victims in the village of Kafr Qasem.
Alserkal Avenue is also showcasing another line of Halaby’s artwork titled “Illuminated Space.” In this solo exhibition that will remain open until mid-June, she presents a series of bright and colorful paintings. The art pieces showcase the artist experimenting with abstract themes.
