JAMEEL ARTS CENTRE IS A UNIQUE CULTURAL DESTINATION IN DUBAI

The contemporary arts institution features 10 gallery spaces; the Gulf’s first open-access arts library and resource centre; 7 desert gardens; commissions, studio and events spaces; a restaurant and shop.

 

Jameel Arts Centre, an innovative cultural destination developed by Art Jameel, the independent organization that supports arts, education and heritage in the Middle East. Designed as a 10,000-square-metre, three-storey, multi-disciplinary space, Jameel Arts Centre is the first non-governmental contemporary arts institution of its kind in the Gulf.

The Centre, which was officially inaugurated on November 8, 2018 by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, opens to the public, November 11, with an opening week of programming designed for all ages.

Reflecting the institution’s commitment to dynamic programming that resonates with a diverse audience, Jameel Arts Centre launches with a broad-ranging lineup of exhibitions, commissions and events. 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, opens 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 focuses on artist’s film and video, starting with a work by Jumana Manna.

Jameel Arts Centre is a venue for ongoing research, education and programming. Jameel Library, the UAE’s first open-access contemporary arts library and resource centre, opens with a bilingual collection of nearly 3,000 books, journals, catalogues and theses. Knowledge-generating Library programmes will include talks, research projects, symposia and reading groups.

The Youth Assembly, a pioneering peer-to-peer programme serving and led by the next generation of creatives, opens its Inaugural session from November 2018 through April 2019. The initiative will lead to the production of art, design, research, interventions and public events specifically geared towards youth aged 18-25.

 

The Centre’s opening also marks the launch of Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, Dubai’s first open-air art park, crafted by UAE-based ibda design and developed by Dubai Holding. The initial installation includes sculptures by Helaine Blumenfeld, Talin Hazbar and Latifa Saeed, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, David Nash and Slavs and Tatars.

A series of public events and activations curated by Art Jameel for the park kicks off with the Middle Eastern/Asian premiere of WATERLICHT, an immersive light installation by renowned Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde, presented by Dubai Holding.

Rather than presenting a static display of a permanent selection of works, works will be drawn from the Art Jameel Collection for curated exhibitions at the Centre, complemented by works on loan and new commissions. The Jameel Arts Centre will also present co-curated and touring exhibitions developed through Art Jameel’s long-term partnerships with international institutions.

 

JAMEEL LIBRARY

Jameel Library, an open-access research centre, features a bilingual collection of nearly 3,000 books, journals, catalogues and theses, materials in part collaboratively crowd-sourced from Art Jameel’s extensive network of academic and cultural organisations.

Free and open to all, the library will be the site of knowledge-generating programmes including talks, research projects, symposia and reading groups, intended for a wide ranging audience of students, artists, researchers, writers, professionals and ‘the curious’. With an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) that can be searched entirely online, Jameel Library is designed for both a local and global audience.

 

JADDAF WATERFRONT SCULPTURE PARK

The opening of Jameel Arts Centre marks the launch of Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, the first open-air art and sculpture park located in the heart of Dubai. Created by the award-winning, UAE-based architecture studio ibda design, the park serves as a bridge between the public corniche circling Jaddaf Waterfront and the new Jameel Arts Centre.

Inaugural sculptures include works by Helaine Blumenfeld, Talin Hazbar and Latifa Saeed, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, David Nash, and Slavs and Tatars. A series of public events and activations curated by Art Jameel for the park launches with the regional premiere of WATERLICHT (2018), an immersive light installation created by Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde. WATERLICHT will be staged three times during Jameel Arts Centre’s opening week and is free and open to the public (advance registration advised).

GARDEN INSTALLATIONS BY ANOUK VOGEL

Embedded in the architecture and designed by landscape architect Anouk Vogel, Jameel Arts Centre’s seven garden installations reflect local and global desert biomes.

The gardens feature a collection of sculptural plants native to the world’s deserts, while striking vegetal textures, subtle mineral hues and unusual paving provide each garden with a unique character.

 YOUTH PROGRAMMES AND EDUCATION

Dedicated public and educational events have been developed for all ages, including an active schools’ programme which aims to engage young visitors from across the UAE with ongoing arts education.

The first regional Youth Assembly for the arts, run by 18 to 24-year-olds, gives a diverse group of nine young artists, writers, architects, creative designers, animators, social entrepreneurs and coders the opportunity to design events specifically for their generation.

A pioneering peer-to-peer initiative designed to foster creative leaders, the Art Jameel Youth Assembly is the cornerstone for the Centre’s programming dedicated to this key age group.

 

 

JAMEEL ARTS CENTRE AL JADDAF WATERFRONT | Location Map

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