Commonly referred to as the Middle East’s biggest art fair, Art Dubai recently wrapped up its seventh and most successful edition ever. Featuring 75 galleries from 30 different countries, this year’s fair showcased the work of 500 artists – most of them from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia – and attracted over 25,000 visitors.
‘The growth of Art Dubai over the past seven years reflects the rising prominence of the UAE as a centre of art and cultural discourse,’ fair director Antonia Carver told Zawya. ‘We see Art Dubai as a powerful venue for regional and international talents to reach out to new audiences, explore new markets and connect with like-minded collaborators. At the same time, through the Global Art Forum we act as the catalyst for discussions that ripple far beyond the region and extend far beyond the visual arts.’
Apart from hosting a tremendous amount of art, the fair also hosted series of discussions including a six-day forum exploring ‘definitionism.’ Twenty-eight galleries made their debut at the fair this year while some of the highlights included a curated booth of works by female artists and photographic works by Marina Abramović.
Some of the highlights as described by CN Traveler included A Very Short History of Tall Men by Beirut-based artist Vartan Avakian, Palestinian artist Laila Shawa’s Where Souls Dwell series, an installation by Berlin-based artist State of Being, a recent painting by Lebanese artist Ghassan Ghazal and an installation by Ali Cherri titled The Birds Without Birds.
The fair also featured a section of gallery booths focusing on a different country or region and curated by Bisi Silva. This featured artspaces from Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Ghana and Senegal and included a sound installation at the Centre for Contemporary Art at Lagos.
Al Arabiya pointed to a ‘refreshingly honest’ approach taken by artists in regards to this year’s fair. From conservative graffiti featuring traditional Japanese figures in vibrant colours, to a humorous installation piece by artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian and a series of work titled Truncated by Iranian artist Bita Fayyazi, the fair is estimated to have exhibited $45 million worth of artworks this year and also drew particularly strong sales.
In addition to launching the most successful fair in Art Dubai history, the program also featured the largest not-for-profit program in the history of the show featuring over 40 artists who participated in Art Dubai Projects which included residencies, commissions, performances, screenings and a mobile art gallery.
There were two new elements launched as part of the fair this year including Sculpture on the Beach which featured signature pieces by Chris Burden and Hassan Sharif. The other involved the launching of the Sheikha Manal Little Artists program which sought to entice new art lovers through discovery tours and activities aimed at young people.
