Alserkal Avenue, in the industrial Al Quoz district of Dubai, may be a little off the tourist track but it has become the most lively commercial art hub in the emirates. The area comprises three “streets” of warehouses, once home to a marble factory. Abdelmonem bin Eisa Alserkal, a business magnate born and based in Dubai, decided to let them to cultural and arts organisations in 2008 and the area has expanded rapidly since then.
As in New York, the art world has found that the transition from industrial to white-cube gallery is an easy conversion. In November 2015, New-York based Leila Heller gallery opened an impressive 14,000 sq. ft space, making it the largest commercial gallery in the Arabian Gulf. A few weeks later, The Third Line relocated its gallery there. In March, two more spaces are due to open: the Paris-initiated Jean-Paul Najar Foundation and the international Custot Gallery on 14 March. These will be highlights of Alserkal Avenue Gallery Night, when spaces across the compound open late with events and activities for the public.
• Alserkal Avenue, Street 8, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, open Saturday-Thursday, 10am-7pm