A Dubai exhibition celebrates one of the most influential figures in modern and contemporary art.

With undulations that resemble topographic features more than facial contours, paintings by Marwan Kassab-Bachi—commonly known as Marwan—were described by his friend, the Syrian poet Adonis, as “face landscapes” because of their ability to capture intense psychological states and inner emotions.

Art, art, art. Alserkal Avenue is back with nine new exhibition openings and late night entry. All, of course, at an appropriate and sanitised distance.

A retrospective show of the work of Mohamed Melehi will go on display in Dubai next month. Melehi was one of the pioneering artists of his generation and a founder of the radical Casablanca school.

You still need to make an appointment but thanks to the lifting of restrictions across Dubai, galleries are beginning to reopen their doors. Alserkal Avenue has a temporary entrance for temperature checks and don’t forget to wear your face mask.

Sacred Spring is a celebration of the new season of creativity that will not be stemmed no matter what the current global situation. These stone sculptures come from some of Zimbabwe’s leading sculptors.

Looking for something to do whilst housebound? Don’t forget to check out alserkal.online for some virtual art viewing.

Body Building is a curated exhibition that explores South Asian identities and perspectives in the context of architecture and the built environment and in particular, in relation to the Gulf context.

The summer exhibition at Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde is more of an open studio, morphing and mutating as the weeks go by. The Iranian trio - Rokni Haerizadeh, Ramin Haerizadeh, Hesam Rahmanian - have titled the ongoing process We Are Open For Installation and it will culminate in a final show in September. Read my latest update here.

A deeper look at the ongoing installation by the trio Rokni and Ramin Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian. They are taking over the gallery space for the summer, subverting the art system as we know it.

Amir Khojestah’s The Gloomiest Sunset in the World is a satirical look at the state of the world today with some expert painterly techniques, which call into question the notion of the portrait.

Alserkal Avenue are taking a group on tour to Sharjah, register now to claim your free place

Sadik Kwaish Alfraji’s current exhibition is an extension of his practice lamenting the melancholy of life as a migrant and an homage to the life his forefathers led in the marshlands of Mesopotamia

During Art Week in Dubai, the team behind Alserkal Avenue announced the formation of Alserkal Arts Foundation, to offer opportunities for research, scholarship, and artistic production, through four core initiatives: public art commissions, residencies, research grants, and educational programmes.

Art Week is in full swing, here is a round up of just some of the happenings on Alserkal Avenue this week.

Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim’s practice is about accessing a part of the subconscious where the mind switches off and emotions take over. His work occupies that space, poetically described as the space between the eyelid and the eyeball in his latest exhibition in Dubai.

Salsali Private Museum, which has been open in Alserkal Avenue since 2011, will close its doors at the end of May and relocate to Berlin. The final exhibition will be from Philip Mueller.

Nima Nabavi is interested in the possibilities of infinite geometry.

The region’s only film festival dedicated to Palestinian film will return to Dubai this month. Screenings are at Cinema Akil, Alserkal Avenue