The odds were stacked against Art Dubai as it prepared to mark its 20th anniversary this year. Plans for an expanded edition were derailed by the US-Israel war in Iran, and in March, when organisers announced they would move the fair from mid-April to May, the Gulf was still under threat from Iranian missiles and drones. Around 75 exhibitors dropped out.
The fair has now opened at its usual venue at Madinat Jumeirah. Taking place until 17 May, this special edition was put together within weeks in response to geopolitical developments.
“It’s a moment that is different than what we originally anticipated,” says Benedetta Ghione, the executive director at Art Dubai Group. “But in a way, it beautifully reflects the DNA of Dubai, the strength of the community that has supported us for the past two decades. We had eight weeks to plan. Elements of the programme were already there, and we were able to carry them through. Others we had to adapt.”
Dunja Gottweis, the new director of the fair, says the overhauled plan required them to return to “square one” in many ways. “We had to start every conversation again, and check if galleries wanted to participate,” she says. “I had like a day and a half to create a new floor plan. I closed myself in a room for eight hours and only came out when I had a light-bulb moment.”
The fair is noticeably scaled back. The digital section, for instance, is now embedded within the main exhibition hall and not in its usual site at Jumeirah Mina Al Salam. There are also fewer galleries participating—around 50 exhibitors, mostly from the region.
Nonetheless, the event is bustling, and many visitors say there is a charm to this revised, more compact format. “With so many art fairs in the world and in the region, there is a risk of art fair fatigue,” says Wol Balston, co-founder of Flint Culture. “I appreciate having less work to look at. Quality over quantity.”
The collector Abraham Karabajakian, who travelled from Lebanon, echoes the sentiment. He says he was adamant on attending Art Dubai this year, curious to see how the fair would adapt. “Without art and culture, we have nothing,” he says. “I like that the fair is more intimate. It is giving me the chance to appreciate the works more. I already bought two.”
Initial sales reports are promising. George Al Ama, the co-owner of the Ramallah-based Gallery One, says several works by Samira Badran have already been sold, such as the 1978 etchings Jerusalem Window and Door of Jerusalem, priced at $3,500 and $5,000 respectively, as well as works by Mostafa Al Hallaj, ranging from $6,500 to $40,000.
Photo: Cedric Ribeiro/ Getty Images for Art Dubai.
The Abu Dhabi-based Iris Projects is presenting two emerging artists, Safeya Sharif and Alyazia Al Nahyan. Its founder Maryam Al Falasi says their works are attracting attention from collectors and institutions alike. “We chose two artists from Dubai, both from Gen-Z,” Al Falasi says. “Both of them draw from nature. Alyazia extracts pigments from natural materials, dyes fabrics and creates abstract landscapes.”
Sharif, meanwhile, bases her work on satellite imagery of sand dunes, documenting how they travel and morph according to the weather. A trio of palm-sized works, for instance, shows how dune ridges were reformed during the 2024 floods.
Al Falasi says there are several collectors that are particularly interested in Sharif’s Lines of Persistence, a large wall-mounted sculpture that depicts the lateral movements of sand dunes. The work is priced at $10,000. “There is also an institution that is interested in acquiring works by Alyazia, which range from $5,500 to $9,000.”
Taymour Grahne Projects reportedly sold out its solo presentation of Roudhah Al Mazrouei, priced up to $13,500. Zawyeh Gallery, meanwhile, sold several works by Nabil Anani, including An Olive Panorama, priced at $360,000.
While the market has started off strong, the non-commercial components of the fair are what make it distinct from previous iterations. There are dedicated spaces for vinyl-listening, poetry readings and multimedia works. DXB Store has also returned for the first time since 2014, offering limited edition works produced in the last few weeks by local artists and practitioners, including Khalid Mezaina, Moza Al Matrooshi and Wafa Al Falahi.
“There are more than 70 participants, all UAE-based,” says Natasha Carella, who is overseeing the DXB Store. “They’ve all created new products, just for this special edition of Art Dubai.”
Large-scale installations are shown throughout the venue, including Khalid Al Banna’s two colossal sculptural forms
Large-scale installations are also peppered throughout the venue. Hashel Al Lamki’s Maat is suspended from the ceiling above the gallery booths. The work is made from reclaimed hotel linens, bridal fabrics and burial cloths that have been dyed with pigments from discarded flowers. Khalid Al Banna is presenting two colossal sculptural forms, square-headed figures that have become idiosyncratic of the artist. One looms over the central exhibition space. The other is positioned outdoors, beside the canals of Madinat Jumeirah. The architects Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib are also presenting a version of their manama installation, which they had shown at last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale. A twist on the traditional vernacular structure found across the Gulf, the three structures feature vibrant pitched roofs and serve as meeting spaces between the gallery halls.
Having visited the fair every year since 2015, visitors including Balston say they are noticing a healthy balance between commercial and institutional presentations. This was, perhaps, one of the silver linings of this revamped edition. As dozens of galleries couldn’t attend, several institutions offered to exhibit works from their collections.
The Dubai Collection is presenting Made Forward, an exhibition that draws from more than 20 private collections to examine themes of belonging and community-building. Famed Modernists such as Louay Kayali, Leila Nseir and Gazbia Sirry are displayed alongside contemporary pieces by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Afra Al Dhaheri and Larissa Sansour.
Barjeel Art Foundation is also displaying highlights from its esteemed collection of Modern Arab art, including pieces by Mahmoud Said, Etel Adnan, Marwan Kassab Bachi and Samia Halaby.
Other institutional collaborations include Moving, a programme of video works co-curated with Alserkal. It includes pieces by Faisal Samra, Dima Srouji, Bady Dalloul and Mohammed Kazem, among others. The works are being screened in a designated space with low lighting and lounge-style seating. They are also being presented at Alserkal Avenue.
“The programme came about as we thought about how to support the local ecosystem. It was a collaborative effort with our galleries,” says Vilma Jurkute, the executive director of Alserkal. “It allows visitors to experience moving image in a very different format.”
Jurkute says she is thrilled that the fair managed to continue as planned. “It is a reflection of our collective resilience,” she says. “The fact that they did it, that they pulled it off, is incredible. And they didn’t have to.”