March is the month that the UAE celebrates contemporary art – from the Sharjah Biennial, opening March 7, through to Dubai’s Artweek, March 18-24, led by the region’s fair, Art Dubai. The month offers residents and visitors alike a packed programme of fairs and festivals, one-off happenings, special performances and installations. See our What’s On section for everything happening at the Jameel; below are some links to our colleagues’ and partners’ events.

Jameel Arts Centre will be announcing news and special events regularly from now until the end of March. Please check this page, and follow hashtag #jameelartscentre, @jameelartscentre on Instagram and Facebook, and @jameelartsctr on Twitter for latest news and updates.

Sharjah Biennial 14: Leaving the Echo Chamber
March 7 – June 10, 2019

The leading biennial of the region is celebrating its 14th edition, titled ‘Leaving the Echo Chamber’, and explores migration, interpreted histories, and societal change in relation to rapid technological advancements and the information age. For the first time, the Biennial is led by three curators: Zoe Butt; artistic director of the Factory Contemporary Arts Centre in Vietnam; independent curator and writer Omar Kholeif; and art historian Claire Tancons. Their three exhibitions, organized by Sharjah Art Foundation, bring together major commissions, large-scale public installations, performances, and films.

Link to full programme

Art Dubai
March 20-23, 2019

Art Dubai 2019, the world’s most internationally diverse art fair, returns to Madinat Jumeirah for its 13th edition, with its most extensive programme to date comprising of 4 gallery sections – Contemporary, Modern, Residents, and the inaugural edition of Bawwaba, commissions, performances, talks and new local initiatives.

The fair’s revamped structure offers visitors greater access and deeper engagement with artists and galleries from non-Western geographies.

Global Art Forum is Art Dubai’s critically-acclaimed annual transdisciplinary arts conference, which combines original thinking and contemporary themes in an intimate, live environment.

Following on from last year’s theme of automation, Global Art Forum 2019 unites a diverse cast of global minds – from renowned curators and critics to educationalists and entrepreneurs – under the theme of ‘School is a Factory?’ to address some of the urgent challenges and opportunities facing education today.

Link to full programme

Art Week
March 16-23, 2019

Dubai’s Artweek is an umbrella taking in the key events, including Art Dubai, and happenings at the Jameel Arts Centre, plus exhibitions and events at Alserkal Avenue and Sikka Art Fair, run by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and across the UAE.

Link to full programme

Alserkal Avenue features more than 20 new exhibitions across its galleries and non-profit spaces, plus commissions, artists’ talks, guest projects, screenings, and workshops. The Alserkal Residency presents ‘Rhodiola’, a commission by Athens-based collective 3 137. A highlight is ‘Fabric(ated) Fractures’ (March 9-23), a collaboration with the Samdani Art Foundation, curated by Diana Campbell, and featuring works by Bangladeshi, South Asian and Southeast Asian artists exploring “sensitive spaces”—spaces that challenge ideas of nation, state, and territory.

Link to full programme

The annual SIKKA Art Fair (March 16-24) brings together a selection of emerging regional talents who this year responded to the theme ‘An Open window to Art and Tolerance’ in line with the programme of cultural tolerance promoted by the UAE Government for year 2019. The 9-day programme includes art exhibitions and installations, visual and performing artists, music and film screenings, workshops, poetry and talks, alongside with home-grown food pop-ups.

Link to full programme