As Art Week kicks off and I survey the diverse blend of artistic practice and cultural expression on display this year, I’m proud to see that the UAE has developed into the pre-eminent centre for cross-cultural exchange and dialogue in the region.
With dozens of commercial gallery exhibitions opening this week and hundreds of visitors arriving for the excitement, the March art season presents a platform for cultural engagement, shared understanding and mutual respect.
Where we are today is the result of what started in the 1970s with the excavations in Al Ain, followed by the inauguration of the Sharjah Biennale in 1990s, which has now become a key art moment both at the local and international levels, to the emergence of the array of galleries in Dubai that continue to fortify the UAE’s ever-evolving art scene.
The development of the UAE’s art scene is a chance for residents and visitors to see and understand the culture of the UAE, Gulf and the wider region. For instance, the work of leading Emirati artists is now being shown in many exhibitions such as Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s current exhibition at Manarat Al Saadiyat The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence, and the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery’s But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008. Later in the year, we will also witness the opening of the National Pavilion UAE’s exhibition at the prestigious Venice Biennale Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play.
Those who engage with these exhibitions will realise that the UAE is home to a dynamic and inquisitive history of contemporary artistic expression, and artists who are ready and willing to reinterpret the cultural values of the past in new ways.
In many ways, this sits at the core of what we, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) do — it is to be able to share our perspectives, define our identity, and engage across borders with lasting results through the power of art.
In line with this vision, today, we are more focused than ever to continue engaging across borders through developing a universal museum for the 21st century as Louvre Abu Dhabi prepares to open its doors this year — gathering an extraordinary collection of exhibits from cultures around the world and throughout history. When I think of Louvre Abu Dhabi, I think of how it will be a meeting place of minds, and will embody the spirit of diversity and cultural exchange that we see taking shape at Art Week, which has become a prominent international moment that remains inextricably linked with the UAE’s unique cultural identity.
Through works of art, the museum hopes to go beyond the mythical encounter between East and West and open up new perspectives in today’s world.
Our founding father late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision was always a progressive and outward-looking one — an approach to which we have stayed true across business, financial industries, foreign policy and the arts.
When people experience cultural events in the UAE, or when they come across the work of Emirati and regional artists abroad, these are positive moments of engagement and exchange. My excitement stems at the thought of Louvre Abu Dhabi becoming a flagship centre for dialogue and diversity, a meeting place for all that will inspire experiential learning and participation, which encourages these moments to multiply and support ongoing, evolving cultural conversations.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak is Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
