Review: Alserkal Online launches virtual tours of galleries

While it is a much-needed initiative, there are elements that need work

Lubna Chowdhary's work of glazed ceramics titled 'Captain of My Spaceship' is one of the works available for viewing online through Alserkal Avenue's new virtual platform. Courtesy the artist and Green Art Gallery, Dubai

Affan Baghpati, 'Flower', on view at 1x1 Art Gallery via the Alserkal online platform. Courtesy 1x1 Art Gallery

A work by Mohamed Melehi. Courtesy Alserkal

Maheen Ausaf, 'Supplementary weft', part of 1x1 Art Gallery's group show. Courtesy 1x1 Art Gallery

Emirati artist Lamya Gargash presents a new body of work at The Third Line. Courtesy The Third Line and Alserkal 

Kamrooz Aram's works are part of a group show at Green Art Gallery. Courtesy the artist and Green Art Gallery, Dubai

Andre Butzer's 'Untitled', on view at Carbon 12. Courtesy Carbon 12 and Alserkal

The works of Mohamed Melehi will be available on Alserkal Avenue's online platform. Courtesy Alserkal

Kamrooz Aram's 'Ornamental Composition'. Courtesy the artist and Green Art Gallery, Dubai

Ebtisam Abdulaziz's 'Focal Illusion' will be on view at alserkal.online. Courtesy DCT Abu Dhabi

Aljoud Lootah’s Falak at Al Burda Endowment exhibition, Abu Dhabi Art. The show's iteration in Dubai will be shown on Alserkal's online platform. Reem Mohammed / The National

Lubna Chowdhary's 'Certain Times XXV'. Courtesy the artist and Green Art Gallery, Dubai

Sliman Mansour's 'Revolution was the Beginning', one of the guest projects for Alserkal Avenue's march programme. Courtesy Alserkal

A preview of Alserkal Avenue's online platform, which becomes available to the public on Monday evening. Courtesy Alserkal Avenue

Avid museum goers know that to enter a gallery means to lose track of time. You can never tell which artwork will catch your eye and keep you lingering over it.

As museums and galleries have had to temporarily close because of the coronavirus pandemic, many are improving their online platforms to give art lovers a chance to visit virtually. Yesterday, Alserkal Avenue in Dubai launched its platform, alserkal.online, as a way to present new exhibitions from its contemporary art galleries. There are more than 300 works on view from 15 galleries and project spaces.

I'm not seasoned when it comes to browsing online viewing rooms, and Alserkal's tours feel like clicking through Google Street View. If you're not used to navigating space through clicks and arrows, there is a learning curve.
While the tours are available in virtual reality for those with VR gear, viewing them on a laptop is a bit unwieldy.  

While it is possible to zoom in on a work, the image quality is not superior enough to offer a rich understanding of texture and nuances of colour, a loss when it comes to viewing the vibrant paintings of Mohamed Melehi at Lawrie Shabibi.

But there are still gems to look out for, such as Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde's show on Mohammed Kazem titled Infinite Angles, which features the Emirati artist's new hyperrealist paintings, or Ala Ebtekar's shimmering blue cyanotype work Zenith at The Third Line.

Most of the works are tagged with a link to an Artsy page or the gallery’s website, where potential collectors can ask about pricing.

In lieu of wall text, there are descriptions of the show for viewers to glean more context.