Dubai: Art enthusiasts across the UAE will get a golden opportunity to see and engage with the works of more than 500 artists from the UAE, the region and the world following the launch of Art Dubai, which will open for the public at 4pm on Thursday.
As the UAE begins a week celebrating art, design and culture with a series of events taking place, including Art Dubai, Design Days, SIKKA Art Fair, Global Art Forum, DIFC Art Night, Galleries Night in Al Quoz, RCA Secret and a host of other programmes, one can see how the art scene is continuing to evolve in the UAE and how culture and arts is regarded as a major contributor to the development of the society.
With the launch of the ninth edition of the global fair, Art Dubai, which will take place at Madinat Jumeirah until March 21, residents will be able to join part of the big art celebration and have a look at 92 modern and contemporary galleries coming from 40 countries to showcase what they have.
Divided into three main gallery programmes this year, Contemporary, Modern and Marker, Art Dubai will also feature an extensive non-profit programme.
Speaking on the launch of what has been referred to as the world’s largest annual showcase of artists from the Arab world and the most global of art fairs, Antonia Carver, Fair Director of Art Dubai, said the fair “acts as a platform for not only established artists but emerging ones as well”.
“This fair has become an annual get-together for art enthusiasts in the UAE and across the GCC and the go-to-event for the world’s most influential museum directors, curators, critics, and collectors looking to connect with the region’s art scene,” she said.
Carver listed other programmes taking place alongside the gallery halls, and said they were the largest community programmes to date.
“There will be a dynamic commissioned site-specific works for Art Dubai projects, an exhibition by winners of the Abraaj Group Art Prize, Global Art Forum, which is a five-day conference starting in Kuwait and then coming to Dubai, The Shaikha Manal Artist Programme, which will include workshops and discovery tours for ages five to 17, plus an engaging programme of curated-led tours, book launches, talks and collateral events.”
Carver added that the “diversity and quality of programming makes Dubai a key destination and shows how it has become a cultural hub”.
The Marker Gallery halls this year, she said, have turned their focus on Latin America and the historical and contemporary connections between this region and the Arab world. “The Contemporary halls ,on the other hand, will include 72 galleries, and Art Dubai Modern will include 15 galleries and will take the audience through the vibrant period of the 1940s to 1980s.”
The Global Art Forum, as announced, will be held from March 18 to 20 in Dubai and will take on the theme of technologies and their impact on the world of art, culture and beyond.
Art Dubai is being held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Abraaj Group and Dubai Culture.
Abraaj Group Managing Director Frederic Sicre highlighted the role the group has played in backing artists and cultural entrepreneurs through this fair and how other private companies should step in and get involved in supporting the arts and culture in the city.
“Art Dubai has become a global fair, having an incredible impact on this region in terms of art and culture. It has been able to project to the world the diversity and richness that exists here,” he said. “We will continue supporting the market of art here and empowering emerging artists with a platform to showcase their works to the international art community.”
Art Dubai will be free for university students who will be asked to present their student IDs at the entrance. Residents under the age of 18 can enjoy free access to the fair. On Wednesday, March 18, there will be a free ladies preview from 1pm to 4pm.
Residents interested in visiting Art Dubai can purchase a one-day pass at the entrance for Dh50, if they wish to visit Art Dubai on either Thursday, Friday or Saturday, or can purchase a three-day pass for Dh80. There will be free entry to the fair on Saturday, but residents will have to register on artweek.ae
