The future of art fairs? Highlights from Art Dubai
Art Dubai is showcasing more than 900 works online from around 90 galleries in its Online Catalogue
Back in February, amid the rapid spread of COVID-19, the art world watched as fair after fair was either postponed or cancelled. Art Basel Hong Kong was the first to go and the list continues to grow, Art Dubai among them.
The region’s most prestigious art fair is now showcasing various aspects of its planned program online, including the second edition of its Online Catalogue — comprising around 90 galleries, six of which we feature here.
”Digital and online experiences are coming rapidly to the fore because of the unprecedented global situation,” Art Dubai’s artistic director Pablo del Val told Arab News. “It is a way of adapting to the current situation to support our participating galleries.”
“In these strange times, we have to adapt and cooperate,” said William Lawrie, co-founder of Lawrie Shabibi in Alserkal Avenue. “What Alserkal Avenue and its community has managed to do in almost no time has been incredible — to put all of these exhibitions online.”
Many in the industry are skeptical as to whether online viewing can truly replace physical interaction with a work of art. “Nothing can compare to (actually) being in front of an artwork or conversing in person with art collectors,” said a gallerist from the Middle East who asked to remain anonymous. “But in times like this we need each other more than ever. Viewing works of art and performance digitally is a gift and a reprieve (at this time).”
The Dubai-based gallery is showing the group exhibition “Upsurge,” which showcases the diverse practices of a multigenerational group of artists, including works by Mohamed Melehi, Mona Saudi, Hamra Abbas, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Shaikha Al Mazrou and Vivien Zhang. The works on view, the gallery says, explore “notions of perception within abstract art” particularly “how form, color and contrast affect the visual experience to give illusions of depth or dynamism based on our psychological predisposition.”
The Dubai- and Venicebased gallery, which focuses on African artwork, is participating in Art Dubai for the first time. It is showing a group exhibition by artists from Mozambique, including Filipe Branquinho and Goncalo Mabunda. “Both artists explore the social condition of the people, not only in their own country but globally,” said the gallery’s director
Lidija Khachatourian.
“While Mabunda works with decommissioned weapons and scrap metal to create beauty from former objects of war, Branquinho analyzes the impact of the petrol market on everyday people in Mozambique and beyond.” three abstract paintings by veteran artist Seroj Barseghian, as well as works by younger artists such as Yousha Bashir and Maryam Eivazi. Amin Montazeri’s small elaborate illustrative drawings and Taba Fajrak’s and Shokoofeh Khoramroodi’s small paintings are showing alongside Navid Azimi Sajadi’s tiles and Mohammad Piryaee’s ceramic cubic sculptures.”