Dubai, UAE, 16 April 2025: Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), visited Alserkal Art Week, which is being held under the theme ‘A Wild Stitch.’ The event features a dynamic program of exhibitions, public art commissions, guided tours, talks, workshops, film screenings, and more. Her visit is part of Dubai Culture’s ongoing efforts to champion creatives across disciplines, in line with the Authority’s mandate to strengthen the emirate’s position as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity and a thriving hub for talent.
During her tour of the week-long event, which runs until 20 April, she explored a broad range of artworks reflecting diverse styles and ideas. Among the highlights was ‘Vanishing Points,’ a solo exhibition by renowned artist Imran Qureshi, curated by Nada Raza and supported by Nature Morte at Concrete. The showcase spans photography, video, works on canvas, and site-specific installations. A leading figure in the Indo-Persian miniature painting movement known as the Lahore School, Qureshi reinterprets classical forms through a contemporary lens.
Badri also viewed ‘I Am Soil. My Tears Are Water’ by Cuban artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, curated by Faridah Folawiyo at Efie Gallery. The immersive display explores humanity’s deep ties to flora and fauna, weaving narratives around migration, memory, and the relationships between land, history, and identity.
Her visit included a stop at the public art commission series ‘Between a Beach and Slope,’ curated by Fatoş Üstek and inspired by a poem of the same name by Emirati artist and poet Nujoom Alghanem. One installation, referencing the poem’s line, “In the face of the wind, everything seems to be the color of the storm,” presents Shilpa Gupta’s powerful reflection on the evolving relationship between Dubai’s natural landscape and urban development. The piece is accompanied by a talk titled ‘Between a Beach and Slope: A Conversation in Verse and Art,’ featuring Alghanem, Gupta, and Üstek.
Badri praised the quality and originality of the programming, describing Alserkal Art Week as an inspiring platform that fuels artistic innovation and encourages the exchange of different perspectives. She emphasized the event’s important role in advancing the cultural and creative industries and enhancing the vibrancy of Dubai’s arts scene.
This edition of Alserkal Art Week includes 15 new exhibitions, bringing together works by artists from the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
