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Art DubAi

With 75 galleries from 30 countries showcasing the work of over 500 artists, Art Dubai is the biggest art fair in the Middle East

March 20 to 23

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levels but also for those who have never purchased work before. We have tried to ensure that the fair is accessible to art-lovers and art-collectors with varying budgets – with works from young up-and-coming artists starting from Dhs1,800, right up to works by very established artists costing up to Dhs1.5 million. We always advise young collectors to look at works that they’ll want to live with every day or works that remind of a particular place, time or mood. I would recommend

young collectors to take in the work at the fair, as many of the artists involved rarely show at international art fairs, yet their work is phenomenal and affordable.

this is your third year with art Dubai. What do you think the event’s achieved? I think that Art Dubai has helped define Dubai as a cultural destination – and we hope

that over the years to come, the city will be known as much as a city of art and galleries as it is as a city of business and tourism. Over the past decade, Dubai has developed an audience that’s knowledgeable and enthusiastic – and this is key to the development of an arts scene. In the first year of Art Dubai there were approximately 8,000 visitors, while last year we had more than 23,000. What’s different about this year’s fair?Every year we aim to grow the fair organically by introducing new programmes. We are now not only the leading art fair in the Middle East, but – with galleries from 30 countries – we are also one of the most globalised too. This year we’ve invested more than ever in the not-for-profit side of the fair, with over 40 artists involved in Art Dubai Projects including a mobile gallery that tours the city, a pop-up radio station, and 14 new commissions.What part do local and regional artists play?The fair is international in scope, so we have artists coming from all over the world, but around half are from the Middle East. We exhibit more artists from the Arab world than any other arts event, and it’s this regional grounding that makes us so relevant globally. This year we have more UAE-based artists involved in projects than ever before – with around a third of the 45 artists based locally. What are you most proud of?It’s quite rare for art fairs to run the kinds of year-round educational programming that we do – but we feel that if it’s something we can do, we should do. Do you see the same old faces? Not at all. By keeping the programme very fresh, and adding in sections of West African art, for instance, we see new crowds come to the fair each year. Plus, I feel that there is no longer just one art community in Dubai. The arts are reaching a wider sector of the local community and that is something that we really try to do with Art Week, by taking the spirit of Art Dubai throughout the UAE,

including Design Days Dubai and Sikka, the festival of UAE-based artists.What’s in it for the casual visitor?Art Dubai is a place for collectors of all

Victoria MiroThe Victoria Miro gallery is one of the largest commercial spaces in London and focuses on promoting outstanding innovative artists. At Art Dubai this year they will be focusing on the works of 83-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama – one not to miss

arNDtBerlin-based gallery ARNDT will be bringing the Gothic work of Belgium artist Wim Delvoye to the fair – recreating his solo show held at the Louvre in Paris last year. Delvoye is an unsettling, surreal and contradictory artist but is also one of the key artists of our era

MarKErFive West African galleries will be the focal point of Marker 2013. These galleries have never exhibited in the Middle East before and it will be very interesting to see the work of artists from an area of the world that has been historically undervalued in terms of the artistic output

Director’s cutFair director antonia sifts through the programme to pick out her highlights

Art Dubai director, Antonia Carver

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abraaj capital art prizENow in its fifth year, what was once dubbed the world’s richest art prize has been adapted somewhat. The much sought after US$1million pot this year has been shared amongst five recipients – Vartan Avakian (Lebanon), Iman Issa (Egypt), Huma Mulji (Pakistan), Hrair Sarkissian (Syria) and Rayyane Tabet (Lebanon). Each of the artists will debut their major new works at Art Dubai under guest curator Murtaza Vali.

MarKErAs the part of Art Dubai that focuses on cross-cultural exchanges, Marker 2013’s emphasis is on West Africa – and, more specifically, the social impact of the rapidly evolving nature of cities in West Africa. This

year’s edition will be guest curated by Lagos-based Bisi Silva. Her curation

will showcase the work of a variety of African galleries and artists

across five ‘concept stands’ include collaborations

from Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Global art ForuM

Slotted in somewhere amongst all the art works and installations is the

Global Art Forum – a place where cultural discussion

and debate takes place during six days of talks, commissioned projects

and presented research. This year’s line-up has over

40 participants including artists, musicians, political scientists,

museum directors, strategists, writers and thinkers – with special participation from artist and former REM lead singer Michael Stipe – exploring the theme of ‘Definitionism’.

SculpturE oN thE bEachDominating the Mina A’Salam waterfront, Sculpture On The Beach is the newest addition to the Art Dubai programme. Curated by the chief curator of New York’s El Museo del Barrio, Chus Martinez, this large-scale sculpture exhibition will add further scope and range to the works on offer across the fair.

MobilE art GallErySo keen are they to leave a lasting impression, Art Dubai will be introducing a nomadic, pop-up gallery on the back of a truck that will bring the art to different parts of the city. The Mobile Art Gallery will showcase contemporary works by UAE-based artists, including Rami Farook, Rania Jishi and Sara Al Haddad, by visiting different neighbourhoods around Dubai every day of Art Week.

thE hatchDespite the rapid growth of the art scene in the UAE, we still don’t seem to do ‘cool’ very often. Which is why one of the things we are most excited about this year’s Art Dubai is The Hatch. During the month an ordinary stairwell will be transformed

into an intimate space screening film and video – cool, no? The project is the brainchild of artist Maha Maamoun, co-founder of Cairo’s Contemporary Image Collective, and will screen the works of four artists for the month. The films are screened in collaboration with contemporary art

space The Pavilion, where the series will be shown throughout April.

haMDaN iNtErNatioNal photoGraphy awarDOften overlooked in place of classic and contemporary art, photography can capture some of the most striking and creative images on earth. Now in its third year, the global Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) rewards photographers who capture images in three different categories: Love Of Earth, Dubai and General. Dozens of images will be on display throughout Art Dubai with notable attention given to the winning and highly commended shots.

StorE DXbLike what you see? Well, you can get your hands on a whole heap of goodies at the fair – even if you can’t afford what is on the gallery walls. The wonderfully quirky pop-up dXb Store will have loads of works from UAE-based designers and artists on sale for prices as low as a Dhs100 – it’s your best chance to buy yourself some limited-edition goodies and support the local art community.

Best in shoWA sneak peek into this year’s fair

March 20 to 23 Madinat Jumeirah, Al Sufouh Road,

Dubai, free. Tel: (04) 3842000. Taxi: Madinat Jumeirah. artdubai.ae

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