International art houses focus on the Middle East

Dubai: A recent gallery survey conducted with the almost 60 galleries exhibiting at Art Dubai 2009 indicates that international art houses are increasingly turning to the Middle East and neighbouring markets to open up new opportunities in the contemporary art market.

All participating galleries surveyed expressed the need to reach new collectors in new markets and an overwhelming majority of the galleries strongly agreed that Dubai had the potential to be the most important contemporary arts hub in the Middle East.

Significant

More than two-thirds of galleries questioned identified the Middle East as a significant player in the international contemporary art market while 88 per cent felt that participating in Art Dubai 2009 would increase business opportunities in the Middle East.

"A year of research into art fairs in the region led us to conclude that, of all of them, Art Dubai had most potential for us to achieve two aims - to promote our artists in the Middle East, and to strengthen existing ties with Middle Eastern artists and galleries while developing new ones," said Emeliyan Zakharov from Triumph Gallery, Russia.

"We are coming to Art Dubai for the first time this year in hope of introducing our artists to a new hub of activity in the ever-expanding global art world.

"We have a gallery in Berlin, in addition to our New York location. The nearer proximity of Dubai to Berlin allows us to be closer to this Middle Eastern hub of activity.

"Previously, our gallery has had little exposure to the arts scene of the Middle East, which we would love to change in the future," said Cassie Rosenthal, the co-owner of Goff + Rosenthal, a New York-based gallery.

John Martin, director and co-founder of Art Dubai believes that the results of the survey are promising for the burgeoning cultural arts scene in the wider Middle Eastern region.

"The current economic downturn has provided the perfect climate for Dubai to take advantage of its position as a cultural hub for the wider region.

"The survey indicates that in an economic downturn, international galleries are looking at events like Art Dubai and its influence across a wide region to provide important opportunities.

"Globally we are witnessing a highly significant cultural shift; it is an important moment for Dubai to develop its role as an art market centre and challenge New York and London," he said.