The United Arab Emirates’ flag—with its pan-Arab colors of red, white, black, and green—can be seen fluttering everywhere across Dubai, including on taxi cabs and the bikes of delivery drivers. After the April 8 ceasefire between the United States and Iran, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum urged residents to raise the flag on homes and buildings as a gesture of solidarity and reassurance after more than five weeks of war.
They also lined Al Sufouh road outside the Madinat Jumeirah where the 20th edition of Art Dubai opened to VIPs on Thursday. Inside, the fair halls were packed on the first day with the majority of collectors hailing from the Gulf and wider Middle East. Originally scheduled to take place in mid-April, but delayed by geopolitical upset, it presented an intimate showing of 50 largely regional galleries, around 60 percent less than the around 120 exhibitors originally expected.
Risk Management
Dubai is weathering a significant economic shock due to the conflict, shifting from rapid growth to a phase of vulnerability and risk management. But the mood was upbeat on the opening day of the fair, with many guests complimenting its more intimate feel, noting it felt like a pre-Covid version of the event, before visitors started arriving en masse to the Gulf megapolis.
Art Dubai Special Edition, Photo: Cedric Ribeiro/ Getty Images for Art Dubai.
“It’s like the old days!” said Dubai-based dealer Charles Pocock, co-founder of Meem Gallery, which is presenting work by acclaimed Iraqi artist Dia Azzawi. He added that Art Dubai has “taken a huge risk” for the benefit of its exhibitors by refunding booth costs. “We now only pay for the booth if we sell, then we need to pay the fee from our sales,” he said. “If we don’t sell, we don’t need to pay.” (Meanwhile, the fair has partly refunded exhibitors who could not participate, offering a credit toward booth costs at the next edition.) For the first time in its history, the fair was also free entry for all.
“The Art Dubai team has been devoted to making this fair happen against the odds,” Pocock said. “We need to go forward now.”
In a show of support and perseverance, many collectors and galleries from Lebanon—which has yet to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel—were also present.
The Beirut-based Saleh Barakat Gallery, a long-time participant at the fair, presented a curated booth including Lebanese artists Nabil Nahas, Anachar Basbous and Samir Sayegh and Palestinian Beirut-based Abulrahman Katanani.
“We have a place where we can have oxygen because without culture, without art, we cannot breathe,” said Beirut-based collector Abraham Karabajakian. “The fair is a sign of perseverance. It’s a sign of believing in our culture and our identity. If we lose our identity, we lose everything.”
Art Dubai Special Edition. Photo: Cedric Ribeiro/ Getty Images.
Overcoming Challenges
Logistical issues,—especially shipping artworks from abroad—as well as travel disruptions and safety concerns were largely cited by galleries and attendees who skipped the fair this year. Still, some managed to attend from outside the Middle East.
“I had to come because of the war,” said Aïssa Dione, founder of Galerie Atiss Dakar based in Dakar, Senegal, participating for the second time at the fair. “I believe art should overcome everything. In Senegal, we have also needed to be resilient. As a gallerist you need to be adventurous. You need to take risks.”
Dione said she shipped her works without any challenges. She presented a booth titled “Spiritual,” featuring works by Senegalese and Togolese artists.
Other international galleries included P420 from Bologna, Italy, also participating for the second time. The gallery said shipping wasn’t an issue and plans to show at Frieze Abu Dhabi in November.
The London-based gallery Ab-Anbar returned to the fair after several years’ hiatus. Its co-founder Salman Matinfar said he is participating “to support the region’s arts and humanities despite the conflict.” While artworks from London arrived without incident, the work of Palestinian artist Dima Srouji, shipped from Bethlehem, had to be re-routed through Europe.
“The people who are here are the people for whom Art Dubai has worked over the years,” said Benedettta Ghione, the fair’s executive director, noting that moving the fair’s usual slot in May coincided with the Venice Biennale and Frieze New York, which made it more challenging for institutions and collectors to attend. “We need to acknowledge that the global art market is recalibrating and the regional art scene still has the markers of a growing market.”
Art Dubai 2026. Photo: Cedric Ribeiro/ Getty Images for Art Dubai.
Many residents looked to how the UAE handled Covid as a litmus test for the nation’s ability to weather crises. A pioneer during a global shutdown, Art Dubai was the first major international art fairs to resume in-person operations.
“Staging this fair marks a big milestone because it shows Dubai can still stage major events during times of uncertainty,” said Dubai-based Indian collector Gulpreet Kohli, founder of Mylen Investments. “Obviously, there is nervousness in the city but staging the fair gives a sense of normalcy and the belief that commerce will come back. This isn’t the first challenge Dubai has faced. UAE resilience is well-known and it will bounce back stronger.”
Optimism for the Future
Even as an uneasy ceasefire hangs in the air, there was little talk of the conflict on the fair floor. Instead, gallerists, collectors, curators and art lovers in attendance expressed optimism for the future.
“The feeling of community is present not only at Art Dubai, but also across the wider art scene right now, with more collaboration and exchange,” said Emirati art dealer Maryam Al Falasi, founder of Abu Dhabi-based Iris Art Projects who presented two Emirati women artists, Safeya Sharif and Alyazia Al Nahyan.
Despite the economic uncertainty , plenty of sales were reported on the fair’s opening day. Dubai-based Zawyeh Gallery nearly sold out its booth featuring paintings by Palestinian artist Nabil Anani, ranging in price from $12,000 to $360,000.
Taymour Grahne, a Lebanese-Finnish gallerist who relocated to Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue last year after previously operating in New York and London, said “the whole world has been affected but we feel supported in the UAE.” He sold out his booth of paintings by Emirati artist Roudhah Al Mazrouei, all priced between $2,500 and $14,000. Buyers were largely based in the UAE but included Emiratis, Saudis, French, Americans, Canadians, and Lebanese.
Installation view of Roudhah Al Mazrouei’s work at Taymour Grahne Projects, Art Dubai 2026. Courtesy of Taymour Grahne Projects.
“There is this wonderful energy and sense of camaraderie at the fair.” While the first couple of weeks of the war were slower than usual, “over the past few weeks we have had some strong sales,” Grahne said of business overall.
The scaled back special edition of the fair was also bolstered by robust public programming, devised in just seven weeks in part by leveraging the Gulf’s growing institutional ecosystem. The aim? To showcase as many artists as possible.
“There’s a lot of risk in this,” said Alexie-Glass Cantor, the executive director of curatorial at Art Dubai. “We want to support artists and communities.” She noted many galleries earn 50 to 70 percent of their annual turnover during the fair. Moreover, they are “supporting artists in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and elsewhere who are going to be badly affected by the circumstances of the times.”
Programming included Alserkal Avenue’s “Moving,” a moving-image program featuring 13 artists from Dubai’s galleries, among them Abeer Sultan (Efie Gallery), Huda Lutfi (The Third Line); and Dima Srouji (Lawrie Shabibi). Meanwhile, the Barjeel Art Foundation presented “Pulse,” showcasing modern Arab masterpieces; Sharjah Art Foundation organized “Against Stillness;” a performance-led series; and Conversations with Artists was co-programmed with the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
“Times of uncertainty give us the opportunity to pioneer new models,” said Vilma Jurkute, Alserkal’s executive director. “We aren’t going anywhere. There is no option for us not to continue because this is our home.”
Art Dubai runs through Sunday, May 17 at Madinat Jumeirah.