Here’s your guide to Art Dubai 2024, the region’s leading art fair.
Photo: Art Dubai
The region’s leading art fair – Art Dubai under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai is back again for its 17th edition, taking place from March 1 – 3 this year. Since its inaugural year in 2007, Art Dubai has been consistently showcasing gifted artists, supporting the region’s evolving cultural ecosystem, along with the Global South to highlight underrepresented regions and communities in the global art realm – and it has done just that.
Following suit, the 17th edition will encompass over 120 contemporary, modern, and digital gallery presentations, along with several talks, and thought leadership programs from the MENA region and the Global South.
Regarding this year’s edition, Art Dubai’s executive director Benedetta Ghione stated, “We are witnessing an exciting phase in Dubai’s cultural story. Art Dubai continues to rethink and reframe the role an art fair can play in supporting the growth of a creative economy, building capacity and creating opportunities for artists and creatives through partnerships and collaboration.”
This year’s edition is set to revolve around thematics including communities and healing, and features leading artists and galleries from across the globe, and a myriad of Dubai-based exhibitors – the largest to date, further establishing Dubai’s growing art center. Ahead, all the gallery sections for art enthusiasts to explore.
Art Dubai Digital
Photo: Art Dubai
This one’s for all the digital art enthusiasts—Art Dubai Digital is the only international art fair that has dedicated new media, and digital art curated by Alfredo Cramerotti and Auronda Scalera. The duo foregrounds the artists, collectives, and institutions who are becoming trailblazers in the art and tech world, from working at the cutting edge of robotics, blockchain art AI, VR, XR and others.
Art Dubai Modern
Photo: Art Dubai
Curated by by Dr. Christianna Bonin, this sector of the exhibition highlights the forces that gave rise to today’s Global South, showcasing a presentation that discovers the cultural exchanges between the Soviet Union and the Arab, African and South Asian countries that took place after the Second World War coined This Other World. The presentation features artists sharing experiences from different countries including Sri Lanka, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, and Syria who collectively studied Soviet metropoles such as Tashkent, Kyiv, Almaty and Moscow.
Art Dubai’s Bawwaba
Photo: Art Dubai
Bawwaba curated by Emiliano Valdés, translates to “getaway” in Arabic, and encompasses 10 solo presentations of new artwork. In line with the year’s theme it revolves around the topic of Sanación – or healing, and includes artists from Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America who explore notions of community and belonging. In line with the theme, Art Dubai has commissioned several performances and interventions that will take place throughout.
Conferences and Talks Programming
Photo: Art Dubai
Like previous editions, the 2024 Art Dubai fair also includes several panels and talks on varying topics. Including an analysis of the relationship between extreme weather and extreme change; the second edition of the Art Business Conference Dubai, an examination of Dubai’s digital art economy and more by leading experts and professionals.
Partnerships and capacity-building
The aim to inspire and formulate a community of artists remains central at Art Dubai, and they continue supporting budding creatives from their own organization too. The Campus Art Dubai, which is now in its 11th year, mentors fresh graduates, and provides them with hands-on practical and professional training. The 2024 program developed by Indian artist Sahil Naik has been set to launch at Art Dubai with the intention to reach more than 15,000 students in over 100 government, private, and special educational needs schools across all seven Emirates.
The Art Dubai 2024 edition will further include an array of artworks and installations by several commissioned artists including, works by Heart Space, a major new digital artwork by multidisciplinary artist Krista Kim, commissioned by Julius Baer, and debuting at Art Dubai. An exhibition from Dubai Collection which is the city’s first innovative loan system and aims to make art accessible to the public curated by Alia Zaal Lootah, the initiative includes 24 artworks by Emirati artists, alongside several other artistic marvels.
