Culture

Quoz Arts Fest is returning with a bouquet of cultural activations

21 Dec 2023

A scene from Quoz Arts Fest.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

The 11th edition of Quoz Arts Fest is returning January 27 and 28, 2024, across Alserkal Avenue and Al Quoz Creative Zone, supported by Al Quoz Creative Zone and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), as strategic partner. It features 200+ live performances and cultural activations by artists from the region and beyond. Highlights include the return of crowd favourite Big Hass as well as the Sudanese fusion duo MarSimba; UAE-based Stick No Bills will showcase South Asian culture via their live music performances and DJ sets.

Renowned Japanese artist Yuri Suzuki takes over Concrete, the multi-disciplinary space located on Alserkal Avenue, with a participatory interactive sound environment Echoes of Nature, while popular homegrown F&B concepts and retail offerings will be made available for visitors to enjoy and Quoz Encore, a platform for emerging musicians of all ages and backgrounds, comes back to the Fest.

Suzuki’s practice explores sound through pieces that examine the relationship between people and their environments. It questions how both music and sound evolve to create personal experiences. Known for bringing together art, food, live music performances and cultural activations in a single weekend, the event also involves exhibitions, art installations, talks, workshops, performances, music, plus more.

Music is a defining feature of Quoz Arts Fest.

Following 2023’s major headliners like Arab stars Bu Kolthoum and Saint Levant, audiences can expect another packed festival line-up filled with not-to-be-missed acts in 2024. Big Hass, a Dubai-based hip-hop DJ famous for his electric sets, will return to the festival as emcee and show-runner. Sudanese fusion artists MarSimba will mix Sudanese lingo and African beats, along with Lebanese duo RUST, comprising singers Hani Manna and Petra Hawi, known for their blend of traditional Arabic melodies and poetry with modern electronic beats.

MarSimba is a sensation throughout Africa and has made a name for himself in the music industry with a distinctive sound that combines modern Afrobeat with traditional African rhythms. 2024’s edition invites visitors to take a fresh look at how they experience their weekends. Guests can expect unexpected stories, different rhythms and playful displays.

Live performances that promise to be crowd favourites include UAE-based Stick No Bills with their South Asian music remixed as DJ sets along with custom visuals; a Bharatham performance, choreographed by millennial artist Usha Jey as a hybrid between hip-hop and Bharatanatyam; and Tanzanian-born performance artist Dipesh Pandya’s live performance and installation transforming a car into a sonic sculpture via spoken word, specifically written in response to the Al Quoz neighbourhood and site where Alserkal Avenue is located.

Sales at Quoz Arts Fest.

Amina will take to the stage with her intimate folk and pop-infused tunes, and the poetry and electronic music duo that form Chamæleon will perform spoken-word that explores the intersection between the sociopolitical and the personal. Concrete will host an interactive, ambient sound experience created by London-based Japanese artist Yuri Suzuki to challenge preconceptions of natural and artificial forms via an eclectic arrangement of pipes and horns. Music lovers can also look forward to the return of the popular Quoz Encore, which will showcase some of the country’s most promising homegrown emerging music acts.

Musicians of all ages, genres and language, are invited to the platform’s Open Call for a chance to perform during the weekend festival. To participate, the aspirant has to share a one-minute live performance video and bio through the form https://form.jotform.com/233332856589468. The deadline for submissions is December 31 and auditions will take place in January. Quoz Arts Fest also includes a series of collaborations, installations and workshops with community concepts. All proceeds from ticket sales are dedicated to the Quoz Arts Fest programme, supporting local and regional talent. Quoz Art Fest’s supporting partner is MINI AGMC, and e-commerce partner is Ounass.

Organised by Alserkal Avenue, Quoz Arts Fest is an annual celebration of art and culture that has been held since 2012. It celebrates the thinkers and makers from the creative neighbourhood of Alserkal Avenue and the Al Quoz area. Alserkal Avenue is a cultural district in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai, home to a community of over 70 contemporary art galleries, visual and performing arts organisations, designers, home-grown and entrepreneur-led businesses and community spaces across 500,000 square feet and 90 warehouses. The Avenue provides a platform for the development of the creative industries in the UAE.

Quoz Arts Fest is open to all ages.

It is one of the region’s foremost destinations for contemporary art, and home to Dubai’s risktakers, art makers and wide-ranging creative communities. With year-round programming, Alserkal Avenue also hosts an artist residency programme from Alserkal’s non-profit, Alserkal Arts Foundation. The Avenue was established in 2008 by Alserkal Initiatives, following the visionary thinking of its founder, Emirati businessman and cultural patron, Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, seeking to fashion a creative community and support cultural production in Dubai.

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), under the leadership of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is committed to enriching Dubai’s cultural scene based on the UAE’s heritage, and builds dialogue between various cultures to enhance Dubai’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.

Dubai Culture is keen on reviving and preserving the emirate’s historical heritage and developing the regulatory frameworks for the cultural and creative sector in line with its strategic roadmap 2020 — 2025. Its cultural and heritage assets include the management of six heritage sites, five museums, Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children and eight Dubai Public Library branches.