Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai

November 11, 2018 marked the opening of Jameel Arts Centre, one of the first contemporary arts institutions in Dubai. Located at Jaddaf Waterfront, the Centre’s multiple gallery spaces are home to curated commissions, projects, and solo and group exhibitions, drawn both from the Art Jameel Collection and through regional and international collaborations. The Jameel is open daily (except Tuesdays); entrance is free and all are welcome. Visitors are asked to book a two-hour slot in advance of their visit. In accordance with UAE regulations, visitors and staff are required to wear a face mask and have their temperatures checked before entering the Centre.

Positioned as a new creative destination in the city, and a hub for educational initiatives and cultural events, Jameel Arts Centre includes an open-access research library dedicated to artists and cultural movements of the Arab world, plus project and commissions spaces, a roof-top terrace, writer’s studio, members’ lounge, restaurant and shop. The Jameel is complemented by Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, a collaboration with Dubai Holding.

The building itself is a specially-commissioned, three-storey, multi-disciplinary space designed by UK-based practice Serie Architects, with Dubai-based ibda design as consultant architects. The architecture offers a flexible and rich curatorial potential – from intimate spaces for capsule exhibitions through to large galleries with soaring heights for sculptural and installation works.

The opening week programme saw 10,940 visitors through the Centre’s doors – more than double the expected attendance. The packed preview evening included a welcome by Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and a special Malid performance, as well the debut of the Centre’s exhibitions featuring 40 artists.

Spread across five galleries, the inaugural group exhibition, ‘Crude’, curated by Murtaza Vali, considers the complex theme of oil within both historic and contemporary contexts. Artist’s Rooms, an on-going collaborative series of exhibitions that focus on a single artist represented in the Art Jameel Collection, opened with a series of four solo shows by eminent artists from the Middle East and Asia: Maha Malluh, Lala Rukh, Chiharu Shiota and Mounira Al Solh. A selection of large-scale installations and sculptural works, several newly commissioned, are on view on the Centre’s roof terrace and within a series of permanent gardens designed by landscape architect Anouk Vogel. Gallery 9 focusses on artist’s film and video, starting with a work by Jumana Manna.

Visit the Jameel Arts Centre‘s page for more details on the exhibitions and programmes, and follow hashtag #jameelartscentre, @jameelartscentre on Instagram and Facebook, and @jameelartsctr on Twitter for latest news and updates.