What’s On previews Art Night at Gate Village DIFC. Art galleries in Gate Village open their doors for a night of celebration of art and culture in Dubai.

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The art galleries of DIFC will throw open their doors on Monday October 27 for the hugely-popular Art Night at Gate Village.

A host of exhibitions, talks and live performances will spread out across the area between 7pm and 10pm, all of which are open to the public free of charge. The event is now in its fifth year, but the latest Art Night forms part of a wider 10th anniversary celebration for DIFC.

If free access to some of Dubai’s best galleries wasn’t enough, among the other attractions will be a pop up painting studio by the jamjar, and several talks and workshops, including a panel discussion with Ryan Inouye, Associate Curator, SB12 and Argentinian artist Eduardo Navarro. There will also be Aliel, a fine jewellery brand.

Nearby Capital Club will host art-house cinema screenings, table tennis tables have been provided by Ping Pong Dubai, The Magazine Shop are selling vinyl records, and The Sameness Project are exhibiting.

Galleries participating include Ajyad Gallery (collection of works using a bold palette of primary colours to represent Arabic landscapes), Art Sawa (an exhibition about people obliged to leave their homeland), Cuadro Gallery (light installations by seven contemporary artists), Opera Gallery (monumental animal sculptures the exceptional large paintings), The Empty Quarter Gallery (Spanish portrait and reportage photographer Miguel Angel), and The Farjam Foundation (a Twitter-based exhibition).

The official after-party (9pm to 2am) takes place a short hop across the bridge, at No 5 Lounge And Bar on the Ritz Carlton DIFC terrace. Striking just the right balance between art, music and comfy sofas, the night will be attended to by renowned graffiti artist, Skott Marsi.

Born in New York City and now living in Miami, Skott is hailed as ‘a key contributor to the city’s thriving art scene’. His current work represents a theory he describes as ‘Switch Life’; focused on reinventing the way we think and create in order to embrace the future. As well as displaying some of his works, Skott will also perform a live graffiti demo.

Resident DJ Lobito – who will provide a global soundtrack to the event, touching on everything from funk, Latin and soul, to hip-hop, Brazilian, afrobeat and reggae – says: “The idea behind Art After Dark is to offer a unique artistic experience in a relaxed yet upbeat atmosphere, and The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC’s longstanding affinity with the art scene in Dubai, makes No.5 the ideal venue. We want to offer something fresh to our guests, whilst providing a platform to showcase new and established aerosol and graffiti artists within the UAE.”

Watch a video from a previous Art Night afterparty, shot by the artists themselves.