This week, Dubai has got plenty going on — with Alserkal at the heart of it. From art pop-ups and surreal canvases to food talks, perfect buns, and late-night sounds, it is a week for the curious. Minimalism at I AM Active Studios, new perspectives from Vlad Pocol and Talal Al Najjar, future food at What The Food, and a cosmic finish with Glass Beams. Get ready to wander, taste, and get lost.

Where? Alserkal Avenue

I AM Active Studios has landed in Alserkal Avenue with a new pop-up space running until mid-January. The spot brings the brand’s signature minimalist aesthetic and conscious design to life — think clean lines, raw textures, and pieces made to move with you.

The pop-up showcases the latest I AM RAW collection by founder Mia Pereyra Matteazzi, first seen at Dubai Fashion Week — a blend of comfort, versatility, and quiet sophistication for modern, mindful living.

Where? The Plaza, One Za’abeel

For the first time, Swiss contemporary artist Vlad Pocol brings his powerful, layered works to Dubai. Known for his sculptural approach to painting, Pocol’s art blurs the line between texture and emotion — each piece built like a memory, tracing the shifting landscapes of identity, migration, and transformation.

His canvases reveal movement beneath the surface — rough yet delicate, intuitive yet deeply thought-out. “Dubai feels like a mirror,” he says, “a place where heritage and future coexist — just like in my work.”

Where? BKRY, Alserkal Avenue

Start your day at BKRY, where mornings smell like freshly baked dough and good coffee. From classic cinnamon and cardamom buns to the cult-favourite cream cheese swirls, every piece is warm, sticky, and just the right kind of indulgent. Pair it with their flat white or cold brew, and you have got the perfect slow morning.

Where? Tabari Artspace

Last days to see MESH & MAYHEM — Talal Al Najjar’s striking dive into chaos, control, and the blurred space between real and virtual.

Sculptures creep across the floor like digital relics, masks stare back with an ancient kind of eeriness, and looping screens pulse with glitch and memory.

Where? Alserkal Avenue

What The Food is back — and this year, it is shaking things up. Under the theme “Disrupting the Table,” Alserkal’s two-day cultural platform dives into the future of food — connecting Dubai’s dynamic culinary scene with global chefs, thinkers, and creators reimagining what we eat and why.

Curated by Cláudia de Brito (Gulf Academy Chair of MENA 50 Best Restaurants), the programme blends talks, workshops, and installations that push boundaries and bring fresh perspectives to the table — from power and provenance to innovation beyond hype.

The weekend opens with a keynote by Asma Khan, the celebrated British-Indian chef and founder of Darjeeling Express, who will challenge audiences to rethink food as a lens for equity, identity, and change.

Across the two days, expect panels exploring Dubai’s evolving food DNA, deep dives into Emirati culinary culture, and creative activations across Alserkal’s community — including Cinema Akil, Nightjar, Gulf Photo Plus, Lila Molino, and more. Don’t miss Tindahan Sa Tahanan Co., a vivid installation by Filipino collective Sa Tahanan Co., paying tribute to the everyday beauty of community stores.

Where? Bla Bla Tent, Dubai

Glass Beams bring their hypnotic, genre-blurring sound to Dubai for one night only. Expect swirling sitar riffs, deep grooves, and cosmic energy that moves somewhere between psych rock, funk, and mysticism — all wrapped in the band’s signature masked aesthetic.

A soundscape built for late-night dreamers — this one’s not to be missed. Tickets are here!

Monday is a plan in itself.