dpa are immensely proud to have been invited to design the lighting for the newest gallery space in Alserkal Avenue Dubai.

Ishara Art Foundation is a non-profit contemporary art space centred on South Asia, established by Smita Prabhakar, collector and UAE resident and curated by specialist in South Asian art, Nada Raza. The current exhibition, Altered Inheritances, is a collection of work form artist Shilpa Gupta and Zarina.

dpa worked closely with the foundation team and architect Rahoul Sing from RLDA Architecture to conceptualise and develop a flexible and modern lighting scheme for the two floors of the gallery. As the art pieces and gallery layout will change from time to time, the lighting needed to be flexible in design to allow for all eventualities yet at the same time be uncluttered, elegant and identifiably different from other galleries. A carefully considered arrangement of recessed track under the mezzanine level allows for multiple luminaire mounting positions together with versatile spotlights with interchangeable lenses so that every art piece can be correctly addressed. For the atrium space the ambient and iconic lighting is created by 3 diminishing custom made squares suspended from the structural ceiling. Each square is an unbroken line of light with the ability to hold any configuration of spotlights, all independently controlled.

Architect: Rahoul Singh, RLDA Architecture
Photography: Photographer Ismail Noor/Seeing Things. Images courtesy of Ishara Art Foundation 2019.