Brush with genius
The 11th edition of Art Dubai is bringing a new vision and fresh talent, and id can reveal the highlights of this year’s show
The 11th edition of Art Dubai is bringing a new vision and fresh talent, and as media sponsor, id can reveal the highlights of this year’s show.
For over a decade Art Dubai has been a top platform for artistic talent from the region and around the world. This year, the fair (15-18 March) will bring new galleries, representative countries and programming elements under the new leadership of Fair Director Myrna Ayad and International Director Pablo del Val.
Ninety-three galleries from 43 countries will be exhibiting at its two halls in Madinat Jumeirah, including a selection of 30+ galleries focusing on solo or two-artist exhibitions, showing alongside collective presentations by galleries with multi-artist shows; together they will highlight the revamped sections within the halls.
“A lot of the success of the region’s cultural scene is owed to diasporic pockets around the world, all of which sought a visual art language to identify with, support and patronise,” says Ayad. “The art produced by their contemporaries and modernists informed these individuals about their homelands, their neighbours, history and the traditions and values; people wanted to hang on to something and art was one of the answers. It’s a great way to understand a culture; a fantastic way to identify with customs, history and other notions. Artists, I believe, are the greatest documentarians and historians – no-one can quite tell a story the way they can.”
In addition to the contemporary and modern galleries, highlights include: Art Dubai’s inaugural Modern Symposium, initiated to celebrate the cultural impact of 20th-Century masters from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia;