In Dubai, a city defined by motion, heat, and rapid transformation, fractured landscapes take on a quiet emotional charge. CRACK, the latest exhibition by Werner Bronkhorst, makes its global debut in the UAE, unfolding across four atmospheric rooms at Concrete, within Alserkal Avenue.
Though Bronkhorst’s work often depicts imagined terrains, its presentation in the Middle East feels particularly resonant. The exhibition explores landscapes under pressure—deserts, clay courts, salt flats, and dreamlike horizons—spaces shaped by heat, repetition, impact, and time. These are not neutral grounds, but surfaces that absorb memory, tension, and human presence.
The concept of the “crack” serves as both metaphor and material. It suggests rupture and release, fragility and endurance, a moment when pressure becomes visible. Across the exhibition, Bronkhorst builds textured worlds where single-colour fields open into expansive narratives, populated by miniature figures caught mid-action: resting, playing, travelling, waiting.
The four-room structure guides visitors through distinct terrains. From salt lakes and beaches to vast desert expanses and sports courts, each space explores rhythm and repetition—echoing cycles of labour, play, and movement. The muted, sun-warmed palette unifies the rooms, allowing subtle shifts in texture and gesture to carry emotional weight.
Several works anchor the exhibition’s narrative. Let’s Clay establishes the visual language of the series, drawing from the cracked surfaces of clay tennis courts. Yeehaw translates the snap of a whip into a playful yet tense composition, while Caravan Life reimagines desert travel as a cinematic procession across blazing orange dunes. These works speak quietly but insistently about endurance, habit, and shared memory.
At the heart of the exhibition is The Pilgrimage, a monumental seven-panel work tracing a family’s journey through deep red and burgundy landscapes. Despite its scale, the piece feels intimate—suggesting migration, tradition, and collective passage. In the Middle Eastern context, the work resonates with regional histories of travel, displacement, and movement across land shaped by climate and belief.
What makes CRACK particularly compelling is its balance of tension and tenderness. Bronkhorst’s tiny figures carry “big feelings” without spectacle, inviting viewers to linger and project their own experiences onto these fractured grounds. The exhibition resists grand narratives, instead offering moments of recognition—small lives navigating large forces.
By premiering CRACK in Dubai, the exhibition underscores the city’s role as a global platform for contemporary art, where international practices intersect meaningfully with regional sensibilities. Here, landscapes under pressure feel familiar, and the quiet poetry of cracking ground finds a natural home.
CRACK is on view at Concrete, Alserkal Avenue, from 16 to 18 January 2026, with selected works available through the artist’s website from 18 January 2026.
