Alserkal Art Week will return to Dubai from the 15th to the 22nd of November 2026, with a programme of exhibitions, talks and moving image works exploring resilience, memory and resistance.
Centred on the theme of “Smouldering”, this edition will feature a major exhibition celebrating women modernists from the Arab world, presented in partnership with Barjeel Art Foundation.
Hosted in Concrete, the exhibition will bring together works by artists including Fahrelnissa Zeid, Samia Halaby, Inji Aflatoun and Etel Adnan. Curated by Suheyla Takesh and Rémi Homs, the presentation draws on the Barjeel Art Foundation collection to examine the contributions of women artists to Arab modernism throughout the 20th century.
Working against a backdrop of political change, urban development, decolonisation and evolving gender roles, these artists developed new visual languages while challenging conventional approaches to modern art. Their practices incorporated vernacular materials and methods, reflecting the social and cultural transformations of their time.
Kevin Jones, Artistic Director of Alserkal, said: “It’s a privilege to be working with the Barjeel Art Foundation on this exhibition, which sheds light on the practices of the women who shaped Arab modernism.”
Suheyla Takesh, Director of Barjeel Art Foundation, added: “While often sidelined by art history, these artists were active participants in the region’s cultural life, developing new visual languages and engaging with the social and political transformations of their time.”
Beyond the central exhibition, the programme will include 17 new exhibitions across Alserkal Avenue’s contemporary art galleries, alongside the latest edition of Majlis Talks. Curated by Egyptian painter and sculptor Moataz Nasr, the forum will be titled Sharing the Sensitive and feature conversations with Simon Njami, Julie Banatre and Jenny Mbaye. Taking place in The Yard on 15 November, the discussions will explore art, resistance, memory and community beyond dominant Western perspectives.
The guest projects will include Promises and Scars, a presentation of five decades of work by Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour, from the 1970s to the 2020s. Presented by George Al Ama and Fann À Porter, the exhibition will be on show in Warehouse 46 until 22 November. Other highlights include The Temple Manuscripts – Selected Works by Russell Watson, presented by the Barbados Museum in partnership with the Embassy of Barbados in the UAE and hosted by Alserkal Arts Foundation.
Meanwhile, the Chanel Culture Fund will take over The Yard screens from the 9th to the 29th of November with Fracture: The Window, a programme of moving image works exploring identity, memory and experience through digital art.
The closing weekend, on the 21st and 22nd of November, will feature Cinema Akil film screenings, slow art walks and gallery tours for children.
