Nada Raza on Dubai

Dubai’s success with Expo 2020 and the government’s COVID response, allowing the city to remain accessible and safe during the pandemic has certainly made it an even more popular destination in 2022. We are open to visitors, we are collectively mindful of each other’s safety, and we have more to offer than ever before as most cultural organisations have expanded and strengthened their programmes. Recent museum openings across the city from Shindagha to the Museum of the Future will be highlights for 2022.

At Alserkal Arts Foundation, we launched the Common Room this year, a new work space for research and collaboration for artists and scholars, creating opportunities for more informal dialogue and open to anyone who wants to share and get peer feedback on their projects. We continue to bring artists, thinkers and curators to the UAE, and will soon be welcoming our 2022 Spring Residency. For Homecoming | A space for you, we invited curator Janine Gaelle Dieudji, to reinvigorate Alserkal Avenue’s public realm, with works by Lawkena Maciver, Kameelah Janan Rasheed and Augustine Paredes acting as a celebratory intervention.

Across the Avenue, we have a rich mix and much more for visitors to engage with this year, as new homegrown concepts continue to join our community.

When asked to describe my relationship with the city, I would honestly start with food! My relationship with the UAE is over two decades old and we have come a long way in terms of the culinary scene. It’s really one of the most exciting places to explore world cuisine—there is food from different places represented by the diasporas here. You can find incredibly specific regional food from across South Asia – food you’d have to spend years travelling across India and Pakistan to eat, you can have here across three meals or even have delivered all at the same time. I love the daal and karela from the Pearl cafeteria around the corner in Al Quoz, and I have become a regular at Bu Qtair who only do fried shrimp and fish. Working in this environment you have to remember to be humble and curious and to savour the little things that are significant to the people who actually make the city function. The 17 dirham haircut places, the Bakala corner stores that deliver day and night, the tailors that can alter anything, the psychedelic children’s play areas, the free parks and beaches. I particularly love the design of these spaces – the familiar signage, the matter of fact service, the fact that everyone is always welcome. It cuts through a lot of the hubris and pretentiousness that people assume of Dubai.

When asked to create an itinerary of a day spent in Dubai, I’d start the day at Alserkal Avenue, not because I am biased but because between us and the offerings at The Courtyard across the road, this area has the best waking options for yoga, tea or coffee or a big brekkie. I’d start with a quiet stroll through the galleries at Alserkal Avenue, which can easily take most of the morning, then head across to the Foundry and maybe grab a quick bite at Time Out Market. From there, onward to Jameel Arts Centre for an art-filled afternoon, ending the day at Shindagha which illustrates Dubai’s increasing importance as an entrepôt. The Creek is wonderful at sunset and dusk. Then dinner at Maisan 15, where you might catch a curated exhibition alongside great food, and if you need to just flop at the end of all that, a late screening at Cinema Akil. My hidden gem is not a place, but the people that work in our art spaces. Ask questions, ask for a tour, we have so many excellent gallerists and docents here, and you’ll learn more about the city through their eyes and experiences, and maybe a hot tip for your next destination.

If you are looking for a place to relax and enjoy the city, head to the beach. Dubai has really well serviced public beaches which are a lifeline when you just need to decompress. There are many excellent spas, the Hammam at the One and Only being everyone’s absolute luxury day off. I live in JumeirahLakes Towers; I moved here entirely by chance but it really has the best local restaurants. Couqley, Mythos, Nola for socialising, otherwise Cafe Isan and Maiz Tacos – each neighbourhood has its own hidden gems, so if you’re a foodie like me I’d recommend a culinary tour with Frying Pan Adventures. If you’re in a big group and the weather is good – grab lots of food and drink and rent a power yacht for a few hours, it is much less extravagant than you think. Watch the sun set over the gulf and the skyline, it’s really magical when the steel and glass towers catch the evening rays. A real Dubai moment!