Dubai's art and design space Tashkeel unveils its Autumn Programme

The centre announced a series of exhibitions, workshops and residencies, alongside an open call for artists and designers

Tashkeel will be offering more than 200 workshops and talks exploring both traditional and digital mediums

Tashkeel, the Dubai arts organisation supporting the growth of contemporary art and design in the UAE, announced a packed Autumn Programme on Wednesday.

Cultural enthusiasts and artists will have a number of opportunities to engage with the centre through a range of public workshops and talks from September to December.

Workshops

Tashkeel will be offering more than 200 workshops and talks for adults and children, exploring both traditional and digital mediums. These include a session by Jassim Al Awadhi, Emirati photographer and former deputy lecturer at the Faculty of Arts in Sharjah University, who will be teaching form and practice to photography enthusiasts.

Emirati photographer Jassim Al Awadhi will host a photography workshop

Visual artist and writer James Razko will lead workshops on techniques in contemporary art and painting.

Gemmologist and designer Sachin Jain will teach Jewellery Manufacturing Basics to those interested in making their own.

Multidisciplinary artist Amna Ilyas will hold a course on 3D moulding with clay, while Benchwork Design and Technology founder, Ismael Touq, will discuss wood joinery for those who are interested in designing functional furniture.

Critical Dialogues, the popular 12-week course covering critical theory and writing, taught by independent arts writer Kevin Jones who lives in Dubai, will be returning. As will Sunday Funday, a weekly workshop for children aged 8-12, starting this Sunday, along with the Tashkeel Winter Camp for children aged 8-16, which begins on December 11.

Exhibitions

Tashkeel will also be hosting a number of exhibitions showcasing the work of local and regional artists. These include So to Speak, displaying Emirati artist Shamma Al Amri's work at Tashkeel Nad Al Sheba, and Made in Tashkeel — Al Fahidi, which includes a selection of works by Tashkeel members such as jeweller Lia Staehlin and fine artist Chie Nakano at Tashkeel Al Fahidi.

Tashkeel will host exhibitions showcasing the work of local and regional artists

The class of Tashkeel’s 2022 Tanween design programme will also be revealing their limited-edition furniture and lighting designs at this year’s Downtown Design, during Dubai Design Week, from November 9 to 12.

University roadshow

University students can engage with Tashkeel on their campuses this season in Dubai and Sharjah.

Students will have an opportunity to take part in workshops and learn how Tashkeel can help them gain a foothold in the arts and design sector, as well as the various ways the UAE government can help once they have graduated.

Calling all designers

Next year's Tashkeel's Critical Practice Programme will help practitioners living and working in the UAE. Successful applicants will enrol in a programme of independent research, centred around a specific artistic practice, and build towards their own solo exhibition, under the guidance of a mentor.

Tashkeel is also seeking designers to join the 2023 Tanween design programme.

Designers in the UAE are invited to apply and if selected, will take part in a nine-month programme of workshops, site visits and seminars, with access to Tashkeel’s studios and equipment.

The training will conclude with the production of a piece of UAE-inspired furniture or lighting design, which will premiere at Dubai Design Week. The Open Call begins on October 3.

More information on Tashkeel’s Autumn Programme is available at www.tashkeel.org

Scroll through the gallery below for images from the 12th Made in Tashkeel exhibition

Made in Tashkeel brings together more than 90 works by 42 artists. All photos: Tashkeel

Various cultural and industrial backgrounds are reflected in the exhibited artworks.

The summer exhibition is the 12th Made in Tashkeel event and will be running until August 31.

The line-up includes emerging and established artists from the UAE.

The works have all been made in the past year at Tashkeel’s facilities or in collaboration with the institution.

Badr Abbas, also a member of Tashkeel, mishmashes local pop culture references in his acrylic paintings, which feature jerseys of local football teams layered against dirham coins and ghutra fabric in Cubist arrangements.

The exhibited artworks are made across a range of mediums — from jewellery to architecturally inspired designs and photography.

The majority of the Made in Tashkeel submissions were made, in whole or in part, using Tashkeel’s specialist equipment, artist workspaces and facilities.