Alserkal Announces Art Month Celebrating Collaboration in the UAE Arts Ecosystem

3 minute read
April 15, 2026

Five weekends of programming to feature gallery openings, Déjà vu – a curated group show featuring 18 UAE galleries, Blank Space takeovers, grants, and public art interventions

Alserkal has announced Alserkal Art Month, a month-long initiative running from 18 April to 18 May that celebrates the resilience and collective strength of the UAE and regional arts ecosystem.

Expanding from its annual Art Week into a longer platform for engagement, Alserkal brings together artists, cultural practitioners, and multidisciplinary collectives from across the region to foster dialogue, exchange, and creative collaboration during a time of heightened challenge. The programme aims to sustain cultural momentum while offering new opportunities for connection within Dubai’s creative community.

Arrangements #001 (Montgomery), 2026, by Anthony Akinbola. The artist’s solo show opens in Carbon 12 on 18 April and will remain on view till 24 May. Image credit:image courtesy of the artist and Carbon12

Spanning five weekends, Alserkal Art Month will open on 18 April with previews of exhibitions across Alserkal Avenue’s contemporary art galleries. The final week, taking place from 14–17 May alongside Art Dubai 2026, will feature special commissions developed in partnership with the fair.

The programme is conceptually inspired by Shilpa Gupta’s commissioned work Still They Know Not What I Dream, supported by Ishara Art Foundation and installed in The Yard as part of Between a Beach and a Slope (2025), curated by Fatoș Ütsek. For Art Month, Gupta presents a new iteration titled Still a Sky We Hold, which serves as a conceptual anchor for the month’s programming.

Majlis Talks in The Yard in April 2025-Image credit: Image courtesy of Alserkal

Across Alserkal Avenue, audiences can expect new gallery exhibitions, public art installations and interventions, space takeovers, workshops, performances, reading groups, and open studios hosted by Alserkal Arts Foundation. Programming will also extend into Concrete with collaborative exhibitions and Majlis Talks, further activating the cultural district.

Tree School with Sandi Abi Khalil and Alessandro-Image credit: Image courtesy of Alserkal

A key highlight includes Déjà Vu, a curated group exhibition bringing together artists represented by 18 leading contemporary art galleries in the UAE. The exhibition is developed collaboratively between participating galleries and Alserkal and is curated by Kevin Jones, Nada Raza, and Zaina Zaarour in consultation with gallery partners. Opening on 25 April, the exhibition reflects on repetition, familiarity, and the psychological tension of cyclical experience, complemented by a Majlis Talks programme curated by Nadine Khalil.

Alserkal Arts Foundation will continue its focus on supporting artists, researchers, and practitioners facing challenges in sustaining their practice. Its Art Month programme includes reading groups by Chafa Ghaddar, open studios with Alla Abdunabi and Maryam Ahli, and a performance by Asareh Ebrahimpour, alongside a newly established fund offering grants of up to AED 10,000 for research-led projects within its network.

A special edition of Crit Club, a performance project conceived by Cem A. of @freeze_magazine, was held as part of Majlis Talks during Alserkal Art Week in April 2025-Image credit: Image courtesy of Alserkal

On 16 May, Alserkal Advisory will convene a roundtable bringing together cultural stakeholders and institutions across the UAE to explore how arts organisations can deepen community impact.

The programme also features contributions from collectives selected under the Blank Space initiative, launched to support emerging practitioners in design, craft, music, and visual arts through collaborative and public-facing projects.

Close up view of artwork by Hassan Sharif-Image credit: Image courtesy of Gallery Isabelle

The closing week (12–17 May) will include Moving, a four-day moving image programme marking the second year of Alserkal’s partnership with Art Dubai, with screenings presented both at Alserkal Avenue and at the fair in Madinat Jumeirah.

Speaking on the announcement, Vilma Jurkute, Executive Director of Alserkal, said the initiative reflects the organisation’s long-standing commitment to openness, collaboration, and ecosystem-building within the region’s cultural landscape, describing Art Month as “a tribute to the resilience and fortitude of the UAE’s arts ecosystem.”

Basmah El Bittar, Director of Alserkal Avenue, added that the programme brings together 16 gallery exhibitions, six warehouse takeovers, and a wide range of activations across the Avenue, highlighting the strength and ambition of the creative community.

Further programme details will be released weekly via Alserkal Avenue’s official Instagram channels.