ART DUBAI 2016 KEY FACTS

The leading art fair of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia celebrates its tenth edition March 16-19, 2016

Art Dubai is held under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai

Art Dubai is the leading art fair of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia and takes place at Madinat Jumeirah, March 16-19, 2016

An independent study has found that Art Dubai and Design Days brought in $35 million to Dubai during Art Week 2015, between March 18 and 25, 2015 – the full announcement of economic impact can be found here.

GALLERIES AND ARTISTS

Art Dubai is the most global art fair in the world: 94 galleries from 40 countries, and 500 exhibiting artists representing 70 nationalities

New countries represented in the gallery halls include Georgia, Ghana, Lithuania, Oman, Palestine, the Philippines and Sri Lanka

More UAE galleries than ever before are represented in 2016, an indication of the dynamic growth of the local scene over the past decade – 16 booths, 13 galleries

45% of participating artists are female, a higher percentage than the majority of other international art fairs

Half of participating artists are from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia – the highest representation of artists from those regions than any other international art fair, worldwide

ART DUBAI PROJECTS
Artists-in-Residency Dubai (A.i.R.) and Art Dubai Commissions are programmes of new works and performances which support artists’ practices. All details on Art Dubai Projects 2016, including artist bios and descriptions of their works, performance timings and more, can be found here.

The Wedding Project, presented in collaboration with Delfina Foundation, is a new performative project that playfully transforms two rooms at Madinat Jumeirah into an artist-created wedding hall, featuring a menu curated by artists including Sunoj D, Larissa Sansour, Candice Lin, Manal Al Dowayan, Taus Makhacheva, Nile Sunset Annex, Hind Mezaina and the Centre for Genomic Gastronomy. The experience is open to all throughout the fair, and also features a series of eleven-course, ticketed gala dinners.

Art Dubai Radio 2016 features Safina Radio Project, a Dubai-based itinerant online broadcasting platform directed by Anabelle Gersigny. Visitors will tune in to broadcasts from the Venice Biennale and Dhaka Art Summit. Safina Radio Project is commissioned by Alserkal Avenue.

Art Dubai Film is a programme of video and film by and about artists, run alongside Moving Images, Art Dubai’s collaboration with Dubai International Film Festival and Sharjah Art Foundation. The 2016 programme includes solo screenings presented by artists each evening in the Global Art Forum tent (at 8pm) plus Cinema Saturday, a day-long presentation of new artists’ films.

89plus Dubai features the conclusion of a two-year partnership with 89plus, the long-term, international, multi-platform research project co-founded by Simon Castets and Hans Ulrich Obrist, which investigates the generation of innovators born in or after 1989. 89plus Dubai 2016 features a voice-based project led by artists Sarah Abu Abdallah and Abdullah Al Mutairi, which features submissions about online personas from GCC-based participants being performed and played out, with recordings of the performances presented in a project space at the fair.

THE ABRAAJ GROUP ART PRIZE
Recognised globally for its generous and innovative support of artists, The Abraaj Group Art Prize invited artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to submit proposals for a major new commission to be produced through a $100,000 award, to be revealed as part of a group exhibition at the tenth edition of Art Dubai

Curated by Nav Haq, The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2016 winning artist duo Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme will showcase the new commissioned work alongside three shortlisted artists Dina Danish, Mahmoud Khaled and Basir Mahmood – contributing projects to the exhibition

THE GLOBAL ART FORUM

The tenth edition of the Global Art Forum, titled ‘The Future Was’ presents 50 international and regional thought-leaders exploring how the future has been imagined and shaped through a series of 32 live talks, panels and performances.

The diverse roster of contributors participating in the March programme includes artists Christine Sun Kim, Monira Al Qadiri, Sophia Al Maria, eL Seed, Hito Steyerl and Francesco Vezzoli; curators Glenn D. Lowry (director of New York’s Museum of Modern Art), the Serpentine’s Hans Ulrich Obrist, Prada Foundation director Germano Celant; Emirati science fiction writers Noura Al Noman and Mohammad Al Hammadi

The 2016 Forum is commissioned by writer Shumon Basar, with Amal Khalaf and Uzma Z. Rizvi as co-directors. For the full programme and list of speakers, click here.

This year’s edition began in January with sessions at Dubai Design District (d3), London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). The Forum continues at the tenth edition of Art Dubai at Madinat Jumeirah’s Fort Island, March 16-19, 2016

The Global Art Forum is presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and supported by Dubai Design District (d3)

EDUCATION AT ART DUBAI

Art Dubai has the largest education programming of any art fair worldwide, providing opportunities for children through to students, graduates, collectors and enthusiasts

Programmes include The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program, in partnership with The Cultural Office of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, featuring Polly Brannan, featuring artist-led workshops, discovery tours and projects providing access to skills and ideas for UAE-based children and teenagers

Campus Art Dubai, an art school for artists, curators, writers, designers and cultural producers based in the UAE. Featuring courses, talks, workshops, taught and led by a local and international cast of academics, critics, curators and artists. The Campus Art Dubai Core class of 2015-16, worked with tutors Murtaza Vali, Uzma Z. Rizvi and Lantian Xie, to produce a collaborative project featuring fictitious countries, complete with postal stamps and currencies. Campus Art Dubai is supported by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Dubai Design District (d3) Campus Art Dubai Core 2015-16 project is supported by Maraya Art Centre

PR: Art Dubai
Foto: The Abraaj Group Art Prize Wall, Courtesy : The Studio