Abu Dhabi Art Fair announces its largest fair to date

Abu Dhabi Art has announced its largest edition to date, with this year’s diverse gallery lineup featuring a record-breaking 78 galleries from 27 countries.

The fair will also welcome esteemed art historian Rachida Triki, gallerist Jade Yeşim Turanlı, and art journalist Riccarda Mandrini as this year’s guest curators and collaborators for galleries. Taking place from November 16-20 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the 14th edition of the fair will showcase artists from North Africa, Turkiye and the wider region.

geoningThe Abu Dhabi Art fair has established itself as an influential annual platform for the bur MENASA art scene, connecting galleries and artists from various geographical territories with collectors, art enthusiasts and visitors from the region and beyond. The annual November art fair is the culmination of Abu Dhabi Art’s year-round visual arts programme.

Returning participants

Last year’s highly successful fair has resulted in a record 45 galleries returning for the 2022 event, while also attracting the participation of 33 new galleries, demonstrating the international art world’s confidence in the region post-COVID. The array of local, regional and international galleries hailing from countries including Italy, Colombia, South Korea, Denmark and India will allow visitors to explore a wide selection of artworks from both established and emerging artists.

Notable guests

Following its tradition of collaborating with distinguished art professionals to highlight relevant contemporary themes in engaging ways, Abu Dhabi Art has invited art historian, professor of Philosophy and curator Triki to be the guest curator of this year’s Focus section under the theme ‘New Tomorrows’. The section will spotlight galleries and artists from North Africa and explore the artistic evolution of the region.

Abu Dhabi Art has also appointed gallerist Turanli of Pi Artworks and journalist Mandrini as guest curators for the fair, each bringing in a number of new galleries. Turanli will focus on galleries and artists from Turkiye, including first-time exhibitors Dirimart and Galeri Nev Istanbul, while Mandrini will bring together galleries from around the world with diverse programmes, including galleries Mazzoleni, P420 and Dep Art Gallery.

Place of discovery

“Since the first fair in 2007, Abu Dhabi Art has played an integral role in the art eco-system in Abu Dhabi and the wider emirates, fuelling the appetite for art in the region. Over the years, we have not only succeeded in bolstering the growth of the country’s cultural and creative industries, but also in nurturing homegrown talent. Through collaborations with guest curators such as Rachida Triki, Jade Yeşim Turanlı and Riccarda Mandrini, we also continue to enable diverse perspectives to be present at the fair, ensuring that Abu Dhabi Art continues to be a place of discovery for our art collectors and wider public,” said Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art.

“As the curator of this year’s Focus section, I had the pleasure of bringing together dynamic galleries that present works by established and emerging artists from the Northern Africa region. The works have been selected based on the section’s theme that links heritage and re-creation as a continual rebirth for New Tomorrows,” Triki said.

“For this section, I wanted to bring together a diverse group of galleries and artists from different historical periods and geographies. The artworks presented by the galleries create an open narrative and a shared dialogue, writing a new page in art history, which we, as individuals, regardless of our cultural and geographical affiliations, can feel to be a part of,” Mandrini said.

“Last year, I was blown away by my visit to the extraordinary Abu Dhabi Art fair and by the energy it generates in the UAE. The fair’s content is very diverse,and it appeals to a vast audience. For this edition, there will be six Turkish galleries with extraordinary works on show by established and emerging artists from Turkiye. The selected galleries are pioneers, both locally and internationally and cover a whole spectrum of art,” Turanli said.

Participating galleries

The Modern and Contemporary section of the fair this year will feature 44 participating galleries including: Agial Art Gallery (Lebanon), Aicon Contemporary (United States), Archer Art Gallery (India), Aria Gallery (Iran), Artside Gallery (South Korea), Aurora Vigil-Escalera Art Gallery (Spain), Azad Art Gallery (Egypt), Bernier/Eliades (Greece), Ceysson & Benetiere (France), Colnaghi (United States), Custot Gallery Dubai (UAE), Dastan Gallery (Iran), Dirimart (Turkiye), Elmarsa (UAE), Etihad Modern Art Gallery (UAE), Galeria La Cometa (Colombia), Galerie Isa (India), Galería Yusto/Giner (Spain), GALLERIA CONTINUA (Italy), Gallery One (Palestine), Gallery Tableau (South Korea), Giorgio Persano (Italy), Grosvenor Gallery (United Kingdom), Hafez Gallery (Saudi Arabia), Hunar Gallery (UAE), Keumsan Gallery (South Korea), Lawrie Shabibi (UAE), LEE & BAE (South Korea), Leehwaik Gallery (South Korea), Leila Heller Gallery (UAE), Maxima Gallery (Cuba), Mono Gallery (Saudi Arabia), October Gallery (United Kingdom), Perrotin (France), Rossi & Rossi (Hong Kong), Sabrina Amrani Gallery (Spain), Salwa Zeidan Gallery (UAE), Sapar Contemporary (United States), Sanatorium (Turkiye), Tabari Artspace (UAE), Thomas Brambilla Gallery (Italy), Wadi Finan Art Gallery (Jordan), Zawyeh Gallery (UAE), and Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery (Luxemburg).

Another 37 galleries will be presenting curated booths in categories including Special Projects, Focus and Emerge. Participating galleries include: 1x1 Art Gallery (UAE), Afriart Gallery (Uganda), AGorgi Gallery (Tunisia), Aisha Alabbar Gallery (UAE), Anant Art Gallery (India),), ATHR (Saudi Arabia), Bernier/Eliades (Greece), Carbon 12 (UAE), Dep Art Gallery (Italy), El Yasmine Galerie D’art (Algeria), Galerie La La Lande (France), Galerie Mikael Andersen (Denmark), Galerie Venise Cadre (Morocco), Galerist (Türkiye), Galeri Nev İstanbul (Türkiye), Galleria Giampaolo Abbondio (Italy), Gallery Espace (India), Green Art Gallery (UAE), In Situ - fabienne leclerc (France), Khalifa Gallery (South Korea), kó (Nigeria), La Galerie 38 (Morocco), Le Violon Bleu Gallery (Tunisia), LIS10 Gallery (Italy), Mazzoleni (United Kingdom), Musk and Amber Gallery (Tunisia), Öktem Aykut (Türkiye), Osart Gallery (Italy), P420 (Italy), Pi Artworks (Türkiye), rhizome (Algeria), Salwa Zeidan Gallery (UAE), SARAI Gallery (SARADIPOUR) (Iran), Tabari Artspace (UAE), The Guild (India), The Third Line (UAE), and THK Gallery (South Africa).

In addition to the physical fair, Abu Dhabi Art will continue to offer a virtual platform for collectors to explore works this year.