Alserkal Avenue heads to London for Shubbak

Lantian Xie, ‘Turn The Cold Weather Into Sun And Fun’ (Courtesy: Alserkal Avenue)

As part of the ongoing Shubbak Festival in London, which celebrates Arab and Middle Eastern art, Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue and London’s Delfina Foundation will present a performative talk by Dubai artist Lantian Xie.

On Thursday July 23rd, Turn the Cold Weather into Sun and Fun, will take place at Shishawi, an iconic shisha restaurant located on Edgware Road in London.

Xie’s talk is about the subject of waiting and belonging in Dubai. It was developed during his recent three month residency with the Delfina Foundation. He locates the talk in an imagined orchestra pit and, using simple props like a can of Mirinda and a sandwich from Hardees, he creates an “in-between Gulf” or a tenuous sense of Dubai in the heart of London. The talk will also be followed by a meal.

Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, the founder of Alserkal Avenue and a well known patron of the arts says: “We are delighted to collaborate with Delfina Foundation, a leading supporter of art from the Middle East for this project. It builds on Alserkal Avenue’s homegrown programming mission to nurture artists, curators and creatives from the region and provide a springboard for their innovative ideas beyond our borders.”

* Catch Turn the Cold Weather into Sun and Fun, at Shishawi from 8pm-8.45pm on July 23rd.