Basmah El-Bittar is the Director of Alserkal Avenue, leading its strategic growth and expansion.
For more than a decade, she has been the driving force behind the district’s evolution into one of the region’s leading cultural hubs, home to more than 90 independent, homegrown creative concepts spanning contemporary art, film, design, theatre, performance, literature, music, food, education, and wellness – alongside developing year-round programmes including major exhibitions, commissions, and festivals. As director, she has championed collaborative models that move beyond the traditional lease structure to create a rich sense of community at Alserkal Avenue, redefining how creative entrepreneurs engage with those who visit the district, fostering deeper connections and new forms of expression. Most recently, El-Bittar oversaw the 2025 edition of Alserkal Art Week. We recently spoke to her to learn more about her plans for the future of the hub.
You’ve been with Alserkal Avenue for over a decade. What key moments are you proud of during your tenure with the art hub?
Yes, it’s been over a decade! I think what has made the expansion of Alserkal Avenue very special is that it has been a very organic growth. It went from a handful of galleries that we set up in the Avenue to a full-blown, multi-faceted cultural space for different businesses, creative industries, and different entrepreneurial voices. It’s really hard to pin down a specific moment, but we’ve done everything from museum-grade exhibitions to very unique programmes that speak to a very specific audience. It’s been quite a journey.
As director, how do you balance strategic growth with creative freedom with the different projects?
I think it’s important to look at it from a perspective of collaboration and partnership. We look for the right people to partner with and to welcome into the Avenue ecosystem. It’s not a random selection [of businesses] that we welcome into the Avenue. We put a lot of effort into curating the experience and the right mix and industry mix we have in the Avenue.
We are interested in people who challenge the norms and have a different, really unique approach. They’re experts in their industries, and the Avenue is the kind of place that really just helps amplify them and helps them grow.
One of your biggest collaborations has been with Art Dubai. Please could you tell us a bit about that?
Our partnership with Art Dubai continues to grow over the years. Art Dubai is a moment where the whole city comes to life, focused on arts and culture. And it makes sense to join the efforts and join voices to make this moment more substantial for our international audiences, specifically. So really to have that collective moment where people do fly in specifically to experience it and to highlight all the work that’s been done across the year, and making sure that the artists that our galleries collectively represent are presented in the right way.
Alserkal Avenue is an important space for independent voices and homegrown creatives. For you, what defines a good fit for Alserkal Avenue?
It’s a working relationship. What defines a good fit is not defined by one conversation. It’s a continuous relationship where we build with different individuals and entities, and collaborators.
In the Avenue you don’t live in silo. I think being a good fit means that you are part of the connecting tissue of all these different concepts in the Avenue, and you’re all working together to foster all the creative juices in the Avenue.
Our range has also really expanded in the last few years. Our Contemporary Art remains a core part of the mix. However, we now have everything from lifestyle destinations to F&B to performing arts and design spaces. design. The founders of these spaces are very close to their businesses in the Avenue, which plays a major role in keeping these spaces relevant.
You recently held Alserkal Art Week under the theme, “A Wild Stitch”, inviting multiplicity and hybridity. What inspired this year’s theme?
Okay, so I speak on behalf of our team, who have worked very diligently to bring this theme to life. So, imagine a picture that is stitching this very particular pattern, and they purposely make a mistake. It’s to do with some form of resistance or some form of creativity, it’s a practice very well known in the Levant and other communities as well. It can also be connected to some spiritual thoughts about the fact that only God is perfect and that we need to make this mistake to sort of emphasise that. Our themes are deliberately broad enough to be able to be an umbrella for a lot of different works and interpretations.
Were there any particular dialogues or tensions you wanted to surface through the programme and discussions at this Alserkal Art Week?
So one of our sort of most popular programmes is our panel discussions or talks, but this year it was a series of debates. They revolved around questions connected to the art world, such as social responsibility, decolonisation, and the relevance of art fairs today.. And I think those. The conversations were very dynamic. Especially as we had a format where speakers would have to switch sides midway through the debate. They would have a topic, and then midway, they would have to argue against it. So yeah, it was an interesting one for us. And the audience is quite engaged with this series of debates.
Was there an audience reaction that surprised you at this year’s festival?
I think one of the special moments we had was at Concrete gallery, which was showcasing the work of Imran Qureshi. We invited Pakistani labourers from around Al-Quoz to a tour by the artist in Urdu. It was the first time we had done something like this. It was so special because many of them had not engaged with the arts before in this way, it was quite emotional.
Especially as the exhibition had everything from photography to video works to the site-specific installations that were at the forefront of the show. It was an emotional tour for everyone.
What are some of the highlights coming up at Alserkal Avenue that our readers can look forward to throughout 2025?
We have a few new openings coming up in the next six months, including some industries that we have not tapped into before. So that’s going to be exciting. There will be more details to come in the next few months.
And looking ahead more broadly, where would you like to take Alcicat Avenue in the next five to 10 years?
For me, I think it’s making sure that we continue to foster and amplify unheard voices. Particularly for communities that do not find other places to be able to express their voices. And that is across all industries and all aspects I think is important for us, to be a safe haven.
