An exhibition dedicated to pioneering women of Arab modernism leads a programme of contemporary art, film, talks and installations at Alserkal Avenue.
Some of the most influential women in Arab modern art will take centre stage at Alserkal Art Week this November, as the Dubai cultural district brings together an ambitious programme examining memory, identity and the relationship between art and society.
Running from 15 to 22 November 2026, the latest edition takes Smouldering as its theme, exploring how political and social change continues to shape artistic expression. Across Alserkal Avenue, visitors can explore major exhibitions, new gallery presentations, conversations with international cultural figures and moving-image installations.
The Women Who Shaped Arab Modernism
The centrepiece is a major exhibition at Concrete, presented in partnership with the Barjeel Art Foundation. Curated by Suheyla Takesh and Rémi Homs, it brings together works by pioneering artists including Fahrelnissa Zeid, Samia Halaby, Inji Aflatoun and Etel Adnan.
Working across the 20th century, these artists helped redefine modern art in the region, developing distinctive visual languages while responding to political transformation, urbanisation, changing gender roles and questions of cultural identity.
Drawn from the Barjeel Art Foundation’s collection, the exhibition offers an opportunity to consider their individual contributions and the wider history of Arab modernism, in which women’s achievements have not always received the recognition they deserve.
Five Decades of Palestinian Art
Another significant presentation is Promises and Scars, an exhibition dedicated to the late Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour. Presented by George Al Ama and Fann À Porter at Warehouse 46, it brings together work spanning the 1970s to the 2020s.
Mansour’s practice is closely associated with Palestinian identity, land and collective memory. Covering five decades, the exhibition offers an opportunity to trace the development of his artistic language and his sustained engagement with Palestinian experience.
Conversations Beyond the Gallery
The Art Week’s Majlis Talks programme returns with Sharing the Sensitive, curated by Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr, who is also curator of the Alexandria Biennial.
Taking place in The Yard on 15 November, the roundtable will bring together Nasr, Simon Njami, Julie Banatre and Jenny Mbaye for a discussion examining art’s relationship with resistance, memory and community. The conversation will also consider perspectives and practices that challenge established Western narratives within the international art world.
Contemporary Art Across the Avenue
Beyond the headline exhibitions, Alserkal Avenue’s galleries will present 17 new shows, offering visitors a broader view of contemporary artistic practice.
Guest projects include The Temple Manuscripts – Selected Works by Russell Watson, presented by the Barbados Museum to coincide with the country’s 60th anniversary of independence, in partnership with the Embassy of Barbados in the UAE.
The Art Circle will also present work by shortlisted artists for this year’s Art Circle Award at Warehouse 50B, on view from 11 to 22 November.
Meanwhile, the Chanel Culture Fund will take over The Yard’s digital screens with Fracture: The Window, an exhibition of moving-image works examining identity, memory and experience in an increasingly mediated world. The installation runs from 9 to 29 November, extending beyond Art Week itself.
A Weekend of Art and Film
The closing weekend, 21 and 22 November, will introduce further opportunities to explore the programme, with film screenings by Cinema Akil, slow art walks and gallery tours designed for children.
With exhibitions spanning several generations and artistic disciplines, this edition offers a particularly interesting opportunity to consider the connections between the region’s modernist history and contemporary creative practice.
Alserkal Art Week takes place at Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, from 15 to 22 November 2026.
