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DubaiArt

by Sophie She

What Is Going On With Alserkal’s Instagram?

6 Aug 2025

So here is something you don’t see every day: a major arts district deletes its entire Instagram feed. No warning, no cryptic countdown, no “something exciting is coming!” Just gone.
And then? Something strange happened. It didn’t come back the way you would expect.
Alserkal Avenue, the indie heart of Dubai’s creative scene, has decided to do Instagram differently. Starting this August, their feed is no longer a highlight reel of exhibitions or event posters. It has become something closer to a stage, or a digital gallery wall. They are calling it a “scene.”
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Each month now has its own theme, tone, and rhythm. For August, it is all about performance. But don’t expect full-on show posters or polished headshots. Instead, you get quiet moments — someone mid-rehearsal, a curtain half-drawn, a quote that feels like it could’ve come from your notes app.
And honestly, it is kind of refreshing.
We are used to brands pushing us — “book now, swipe up, coming soon” — and this digital noise is constant. Alserkal has hit pause on all that. They have archived everything. No past posts, no nostalgia, no endless scroll of what was. Just a clean slate and a quiet vibe.
It is not that they have gone anti-social. They are just being more intentional. Less feed, more feeling.
To me, this feels somewhat weirdly calming. You can actually spend time with each post. It’s not trying to sell you anything or shout over the noise. It just exists — like a small exhibit in your hand.

What to explore this month, then?

Zahra Al-Mahdi (b. 1989) is a multidisciplinary artist known for her ink-on-photo collages, animations, and installations of dissected anatomical forms. You can find her works in the profile right now — explore the works from August 1 to 8.
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Parts of Zahra Al-Mahdi’s project for Alserkal Avenue’s Summer Programme 2025

Joel Sakkari is a Bangalore-based producer blending retro sounds with South Indian cinema samples. His music spans lo-fi, Boom Bap, and ambient, often collaborating across genres to create cinematic, nostalgic beats — listen from August 9 to 14.
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Instagram: @sakremusic

Spencer Chang is an artist-engineer whose playful, tech-based works — ranging from interactive sculptures to internet experiments — turn digital tools into platforms for community, care, and creative reimagining. See them from August 15 to 21.
The Camelia Committee (Mira Adoumier, Carine Doumit, Nour Ouayda) is a trio of filmmakers and researchers exploring the intersection of image, text, and sound through five curated “capsules” of collaborative storytelling. Learn more from August 22 to 27.