14 - 17 May 2026
Art Dubai week
Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai
Location
Urban + Indoor
Exhibition type
19 May 2026
Opening
Chapter 1 — Bringing Structure
Art Seeding
Art Seeding Concept
Art Seeding is a recurring initiative that enters an emerging district during its formative stage -placing artistic “seeds” across the urban fabric to support cultural and spatial growth beyond gallery walls.
Each chapter introduces site-responsive works into public walls, spaces and selected indoor locations, turning the cluster into a living, evolving area.
Chapter I responds to Al Khayat’s present condition: a place still being shaped.
Each chapter introduces site-responsive works into public walls, spaces and selected indoor locations, turning the cluster into a living, evolving area.
Chapter I responds to Al Khayat’s present condition: a place still being shaped.
Concept
The Vision behind Al Khayat Edition
Al Khayat: expansion and identity
Al Khayat Avenue is an emerging art cluster in Dubai, expanding naturally from the legacy of Alserkal Avenue while forming its own identity. With established galleries already present and new spaces developing alongside ongoing construction, the district is in a phase of active transformation — physically and culturally.
This area should be understood as a coherent urban unit. In order to mature sustainably, it must develop a distinct cultural and visual identity and evolve toward urban wholeness.
Al Khayat Avenue is an emerging art cluster in Dubai, expanding naturally from the legacy of Alserkal Avenue while forming its own identity. With established galleries already present and new spaces developing alongside ongoing construction, the district is in a phase of active transformation — physically and culturally.
This area should be understood as a coherent urban unit. In order to mature sustainably, it must develop a distinct cultural and visual identity and evolve toward urban wholeness.
vision
The Story of the Place
Dubai is a city shaped by accelerated construction and rapid transformation. Cultural districts often emerge alongside architectural development, yet their identity requires intentional cultivation. Art Seeding responds to this condition by introducing artistic structure during a district’s formative stage— allowing culture to evolve in parallel with infrastructure rather than following it.
Not finished and that is its strength Al Khayat is not yet a completed art district. It is an emerging structure - architecturally, culturally, economically. Part construction site, part cultural experiment, part promise.
Not finished and that is its strength Al Khayat is not yet a completed art district. It is an emerging structure - architecturally, culturally, economically. Part construction site, part cultural experiment, part promise.
Story
Initiators (not observers)
Our intention is:
To contribute to Al Khayat’s sustainable growth
To support the formation of a coherent spatial structure through the creation of architectural reference points and navigational anchors
To expand access to art beyond the limits of a gallery
Dmitry Melnikov
Curator
Dmitry Melnikov, is a mining industry executive and Dubai-based cultural entrepreneur and gallerist working at the intersection of capital, culture, and city-making. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and, alongside his leadership role in a global resources group, founded Reinvention Art Gallery (R/A/G).
Sofia Tkach
Curator
Founder of the B.A.S Studio of Architecture and Art in Dubai, exhibition curator, practicing chief architect, and architectural leader of the Assembly of Arts with a plentiful of regalia (from the Golden Section Award, to French Architectural Association and the Bauhaus Foundation recognitions, and notable participation in Venice Architecture Biennale).
Our Role
As long-term residents of the Alserkal–Al Khayat corridor, we are participants in Al Khayat’s becoming, and not merely external curators watching from outside.
Why “Bringing Structure”?
Physical
The environment seeking coherence
Cultural
А district balancing commerce, experimentation, sustainability
Perceptual
The human impulse to organize complexity into meaning
Structure
Artists are invited to interpret structure as:
architectural grid / social system / memory / ritual / psychological framework / urban rhythm / invisible order.
There will be not more than 10 artists participating
Chapter I Format of Works
Selection is conducted by the initiating curators in dialogue with the producer and relevant partners, based on curatorial alignment, feasibility, and long-term program vision
Media may include:
Murals / Urban interventions + selected indoor works (objects, installations, panels, hanging works) - depending on site and concept.
The size and format of each work must be proportionate to the assigned wall or spatial location. Final dimensions will be determined individually, based on the artistic concept and available surfaces. Preference is given to works that are technically removable.
Murals / Urban interventions + selected indoor works (objects, installations, panels, hanging works) - depending on site and concept.
The size and format of each work must be proportionate to the assigned wall or spatial location. Final dimensions will be determined individually, based on the artistic concept and available surfaces. Preference is given to works that are technically removable.
Format
1 Artist = 1 Work
Program Structure
Street layer
Art across facades and the avenue
Indoor layer
Curated presentation inside selected spaces
Public program
Talks / walkthrough / panels
Documentation
Photo / video + chapter catalogue (digital / limited print)
Program
How the chapter unfolds
Art Dubai Week Timing
The installation and opening align with Art Dubai timing — when Dubai hosts a concentrated international audience of art professionals, institutions, media, and collectors.
Visibility window
Timing
Related Events and Public Talks
19 May - 21 May
Opening Event
19 May
Installation Stage
11 May - 17 May
Assessment of Results
18 March
Invitation and Open Call
23 February – 11 March
What participating artists receive
What Artists Receive
benefits
All other participation terms and conditions will be through a direct agreement with R/A/G.
R/A/G will be also interested to discuss showcasing and commercial representation for other works of participating artists
R/A/G will be also interested to discuss showcasing and commercial representation for other works of participating artists
Participation in shaping an emerging cultural district
Accommodation during the agreed production/installation window for foreign artists
Event visibility via a large number of present galleries, curators, artists and collectors
Full PR coverage by local and international media
Professional documentation, including catalogue and project archive
Intellectual Property & Gallery Collaboration
IP Terms
Copyright
Copyright in all artworks remains with the Artist.
Primary Work
In consideration for participation:
1. At least one physical work related to the Chapter (main work, fragment, study, or equivalent) is transferred to the Organizer / Reinvention Art Gallery for collection and archive.
2. The Organizer receives a broad, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, exhibit, publish, document, and promote the work, with mandatory artist credit.
1. At least one physical work related to the Chapter (main work, fragment, study, or equivalent) is transferred to the Organizer / Reinvention Art Gallery for collection and archive.
2. The Organizer receives a broad, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, exhibit, publish, document, and promote the work, with mandatory artist credit.
Supplementary Works
1. Artists agree to provide a limited number of signed and documented supplementary works (studies, editions, related objects, or process materials).
2. Such works are offered through R/A/G on standard gallery commission terms.
Artists receive their regular post-commission share upon sale.
2. Such works are offered through R/A/G on standard gallery commission terms.
Artists receive their regular post-commission share upon sale.
How to Participate
Participate
01
Application deadline: 11 March 2026
Submit
Portfolio + short proposal (idea / format)
02
Concept package discussion
Sketch/concept + technical plan
03
Asessement: 18 March 2026
Site confirmation
Location + format approval
04
Participation agreement
Conditions negotiated individually + contract signed
05
Production & installation
During the agreed production/installation window
The Planting of Seeds
From Chapter to Chapter
Chapter 1
A seed placed within the urban fabric
A marker of artistic presence
A layer in the gradual formation of identity
Art Seeding is conceived as a long-term initiative. Each chapter introduces a focused curatorial theme responding to the evolving condition of Al Khayat. Over successive editions, the program builds continuity, artistic relationships, and a growing archive—contributing to the district’s cultural memory and institutional credibility.
Over time, Al Khayat does not simply host art. It accumulates it.
Over time, Al Khayat does not simply host art. It accumulates it.
Art Seeding is not a one-off event. Each chapter functions as
Anastasia Kuznetsova-Ruf
Anastasia Kuznetsova-Ruf is a Moscow-based artist whose practice draws on academic draftsmanship while expanding into a contemporary, psychologically rich visual language. Working primarily with graphic materials—often charcoal—combined with restrained painting, she creates near-monochrome compositions where minimal means produce maximum atmosphere.
Her works frequently evoke vastness through compositional tension: figures held at the edge of the frame and distant space unfolding behind them. In recent years, she has moved from airy, sparse canvases to more detailed scenes, rethinking depth and narrative density. Her paintings read as quiet allegories—dreamlike reflections on fleeting moments and the ways we perceive the world as open or enclosed.
Her works frequently evoke vastness through compositional tension: figures held at the edge of the frame and distant space unfolding behind them. In recent years, she has moved from airy, sparse canvases to more detailed scenes, rethinking depth and narrative density. Her paintings read as quiet allegories—dreamlike reflections on fleeting moments and the ways we perceive the world as open or enclosed.
Participating Artists
Ivan Korshunov
Ivan Korshunov is a contemporary artist recognized in leading art rankings, including Forbes and InArt. His works are held in major museum collections, including the State Russian Museum and the National Museum of China in Beijing. Korshunov’s practice combines a monumental sensibility with hyperreal precision and timely subject matter, placing classical technique within a contemporary visual language.
His projects often engage social and cultural themes, exploring identity, memory, and time. Working across a range of techniques and materials, he creates layered compositions where visual clarity becomes a tool for complex narrative and collective reflection.
His projects often engage social and cultural themes, exploring identity, memory, and time. Working across a range of techniques and materials, he creates layered compositions where visual clarity becomes a tool for complex narrative and collective reflection.
Dima Vladimirov
Dima Vladimirov is an independent photographer and cinematographer based in Buenos Aires, with over 20 years of experience. His practice is human-centered and visually precise, exploring form, composition, and emotional presence across portraits, landscapes, brand stories, and product imagery.
Working with a cinematic sensibility, he builds narratives through light and detail—moving seamlessly from intimate, quiet observation to street-scale visual impact in public-facing projects.
Working with a cinematic sensibility, he builds narratives through light and detail—moving seamlessly from intimate, quiet observation to street-scale visual impact in public-facing projects.
Ilia Leviant
Ilia Leviant is an architect and artist, and a partner at ABD architects. Based in Dubai, he develops artistic projects and installations that explore space, material, and perception—often at the boundary between built form and contemporary art. He also leads a mural initiative that brings current artistic expression into public space.
His notable work includes The Essence (“Sut”), an installation that blurs the line between architecture and visual experience, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to city-making and cultural presence.
His notable work includes The Essence (“Sut”), an installation that blurs the line between architecture and visual experience, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to city-making and cultural presence.
Proposed Walls and Spaces
Walls and Spaces
About R/A/G and B.A.S
ABOUT
Reinvention Art Gallery (R/A/G) is a Dubai-based contemporary art space dedicated to exploring and rethinking how art is is produced, seen, sought, valued, and exchanged within evolving cultural contexts. The gallery approaches exhibitions as structured acts of perception - bringing together artists whose work demonstrates conceptual clarity, spatial awareness, and long-term relevance. R/A/G operates at the intersection of artistic practice, urban development, and cultural strategy.
B.A.S is an academic school of Architecture and Art for children and teens, focused on professional immersion and creative development.
Students receive awards in international competitions, participate in the Venice Biennale, and take part in organizing exhibitions at Alserkal Avenue.
Students receive awards in international competitions, participate in the Venice Biennale, and take part in organizing exhibitions at Alserkal Avenue.
